After days of discussions, the Ugandan military decided on Jan. 13 to send Dominic Ongwen [5], a rebel leader with the Lord's Resistance Army [6] (LRA [7]), to trial in the International Criminal Court [8] (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ICC has sought to try Ongwen, who is thought to be the second-in-command to Joseph Kony [9], since 2005 when an initial warrant of arrest [10] was issued. He is accused [11] of enslavement and directing attacks against civilian populations, among other charges, for his actions in the early 2000's in which thousands were killed and children abducted to be used as soldiers or sold as sex slaves.
The decision to send Ongwen to the ICC came over opposition from Uganda's civilian government, who wished to try him in the country after his surrender [12] in early January. Uganda continues to grapple with atrocities committed during the country's internal war [13]. The organization Invisible Children [14] has been instrumental in advocating efforts to capture Kony. In May 2012 an LRA commander was captured [15] after having carried out an ambush in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
From Jurist [16], Jan. 13. Used with permission.
