Following reports that Dominic Ongwen has surrendered to US forces, Amnesty International is calling for his immediate transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face trial.
“The people of northern Uganda have waited almost 10 years for the warrants issued by the ICC against leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army to be executed. Dominic Ongwen now needs to be held to account for the numerous charges he faces of murder, mutilation, forced recruitment of child soldiers and use of sex slaves – crimes he allegedly committed when he was a senior commander of the LRA” said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Regional Director for Amnesty International.
“The remaining two warrants of arrest against other Lord’s Resistance Army leaders Joseph Kony and Okot Odhiambo must be expedited without delay.”
Arrest warrants against Ongwen and four other leaders of the rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) for war crimes and crimes against humanity were issued by the ICC in July 2005. Ongwen is charged with three counts of crimes against humanity and four counts of war crimes. Two of the other LRA leaders have since died but Joseph Kony and Okot Odhiambo remain at large. Thousands of lives are estimated to have been lost in the orgy of terror perpetuated by the LRA in the northern part of Uganda and neighbouring countries for nearly two decades.