{UAH} An ex-colonel in the Lord’s Resistance Army goes on trial in Uganda

An ex-colonel in the Lord's Resistance Army goes on trial in Uganda

It is the country's first war-crimes case

 Print edition | Middle East and Africa

Mar 21st 2019| GULU

People still fear Thomas Kwoyelo in the villages around Pabbo, a town in northern Uganda where the Kilak hills smudge the horizon. Prosecutors in Uganda's first war-crimes case allege that when he was a colonel in the Lord's Resistance Army (lra), a rebel group that terrorised northern Uganda from 1987 until 2006, he and his men abducted children, stole animals and massacred civilians. He pleads not guilty on all 93 counts, which include charges for murder, rape and enslavement. "He should be locked away for ever and never come back," says one widow.

The prosecution made its opening statement on March 12th in the high court in Gulu, a short drive away. The trial is seen as a test case for the court's International Crimes Division, one of the first domestic war-crimes courts in Africa. Established in 2008, after failed peace talks with the lra, it has convicted human traffickers and terrorists. But Mr Kwoyelo, captured a decade ago in Congo, is the first lra rebel to appear before it. Many in northern Uganda don't think he should face trial at all.

--

Gwokto La'Kitgum

Find Me on LinkedIn

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall building." Jim Hightower

"If I'm right, and I'm pretty sure I am," writes Dr. Epstein, Trump is capable of only a minimal level of analytical or critical thinking." (Photo: DonkeyHotey/flickr/cc)

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com