Victims of jailed Ugandan militia chief to obtain $56 million in compensation

**The Worldwide Prison Court docket on Wednesday granted reparations of greater than $56 million to 1000’s of victims of Dominic Ongwen, a convicted commander within the Ugandan insurgent group the Lord’s Resistance Military.**An ICC appeals panel additionally upheld his convictions and 25-year sentence.

Ongwen who was not in courtroom for the reparations listening to was convicted in late 2022 of 61 offenses, together with murders, rapes, compelled marriages and recruiting little one troopers between 2002-2005. 

The almost 50,000 victims lined by Wednesday’s order included former little one troopers and youngsters born because of rapes and compelled pregnancies.

“Tens of 1000’s of people suffered large hurt as a result of unimaginable atrocities dedicated” as insurgent fighters led by Ongwen attacked 4 camps for displaced individuals in northern Uganda, stated Presiding Decide Bertram Schmitt.

The presiding choose dominated that since Ongwen is indigent, the reparations might be paid by a belief fund for victims arrange by the courtroom’s member states.

Schmitt urged “states, organisations, firms and personal people to help the belief funds for victims’ mission and efforts and contribute to its fundraising actions.”

Victims would every obtain $812 as a “symbolic award” whereas different reparations would come within the type of community-based rehabilitation programmes.

Proof at Ongwen’s trial established that feminine civilians captured by the LRA had been was intercourse slaves and wives for fighters.

_”Tens of 1000’s of people suffered large hurt as a result of unimaginable atrocities dedicated throughout and within the aftermath of the 4 assaults. We’ve got spoken about {that a} second in the past, for, in size. Equally, over 100 girls and ladies and 1000’s of youngsters, girls and boys underneath the age of 15 suffered profound, multifaceted hurt because of being kidnapped. Many had been later subjected to sexual and gender based mostly crimes and/or compelled to function LRA (Lord’s Resistance Military) troopers, being saved in captivity with merciless strategies of bodily and psychological coercion” -_Judge Bertram Schmitt.

The LRA started its assaults in Uganda within the Nineteen Eighties, when one of many courtroom’s most-wanted fugitives, Joseph Kony, sought to overthrow the federal government.

The militia after being pushed out of Uganda, terrorized villages within the DR Congo, Central Africa Republic and South Sudan.

Ongwen was amongst these kidnapped by the militia led by Kony. He was reworked into a baby soldier at 9 years previous and later grew to become a senior commander. 

Judges who presided over his trial believed Ongwen was “a completely accountable grownup” conscious of what he was doing when he dedicated his crimes.