Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona received prison terms of 15 and 12 years for their roles in brutal attacks against civilians -mainly of the mainly Muslim Seleka population of the country-during the 2013-2014 civil war.
They were guilty “Beyond any reasonable doubt” to direct and facilitate attacks on civilians in the capital, Bangui, and the west of the country.
Thousands of people were killed in the violence that swept the car following a 2012 coup of state led by the mainly Muslim rebel coalition, Séléka. The fighting took a deeply sectarian tenor while the anti-balaka militia launched a brutal campaign of reprisals.
Long list of crimes
The ICC test chamber found Mr. Yekatom responsible for a number of crimes he has committed in the context of the attack on Bangui (The capital of the car), Yamwara’s events (a school where he had established a base), and during the advance of his group on the PK9-Mbaiki axis.
They included murder, torture, transfer and forced expulsion, leading an attack on a building dedicated to religion and persecution.
Mr. Ngaïssona was convicted of having helped and encouraged many of the same crimes, including persecution, forced displacement and cruel treatment.
The two men also targeted Muslims according to the perception of the anti-balaka of collective guilt for the abuses of Seleka.
The judges condemned Mr. Yekatom to 15 years old and Mr. Ngaïssona at 12 years old, time was already deducted.
The accusations of crimes of war and realization of an attack on a religious building during the attack on Bossangoa were not maintained against Mr. Ngaïssona, and those of the conscription, the enrollment and the use of children were not maintained against Mr. Yekatom.
“Instrumentalization of religion”
The room noted that While religion was instrumentalized by armed groups during the conflict, violence was not initially religious in nature.
Many witnesses have testified that Muslims and Christians had lived peacefully together before the conflict.
The convictions mark the conclusion of a trial which began in February 2021. During the procedure, the accusation called 114 witnesses, while the defense teams called 56. A total of 1,965 victims participated in the trial by means of legal representatives.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
