Who is Thomas Kwoyelo, Ugandan LRA rebel commander on trial for war crimes?
Al JazeeraAUG 12 2024
The charges against Kwoyelo included murder, rape, torture, pillaging, abduction, and destruction of settlements for internally displaced people, committed between 1992 and 2005.In August, Kwoyelo was found guilty of 44 counts of crimes against humanity in the first such trial in the East African country. He denied all charges.
This case marks the first atrocity trial under the International Crimes Division (ICD) of Uganda's High Court, which focuses on international crimes.The charges against Kwoyelo included murder, rape, torture, pillaging, abduction, and destruction of settlements for internally displaced people.
Kwoyelo, who was abducted by the LRA at age 12, had been in detention since 2009 after being captured in the Democratic Republic of Congo.The LRA, founded by Joseph Kony in the 1980s, is responsible for killing over 100K people and abducting 60K children during its reign of terror across Uganda, Sudan, DRC, and the Central African Republic.
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Kwoyelo's trial raises complex ethical questions about accountability in cases involving former child soldiers. The defendant maintained he was abducted as a young boy and faced death for disobeying LRA leader Joseph Kony. The long delay in bringing Kwoyelo to trial and the selective prosecution of LRA members while sparing some Ugandan military commanders accused of abuses highlight potential inconsistencies in the pursuit of justice.