Amnesty International on June 20 welcomed [7] the conviction [8] by the Central African Republic's Special Criminal Court (SCC) of six former combatants for war crimes and crimes against humanity, calling the decision "a breakthrough in the fight against impunity in the country." However, Amnesty said that the trial in the Ndélé 2 case [9] was "tarnished" by the fact that four out of six defendants were convicted in absentia.
Alice Banens, legal adviser at Amnesty International, noted that fair trial standards ensure the defendants' right to be present at their trial, to prepare their defense with their counsel, and to address the court directly. Furthermore, Banens encouraged the execution of arrest warrants for several more suspects who are accused of serious crimes subject to the SCC's jurisdiction, to ensure victims' rights to truth, justice and effective reparation.
The six defendants were found guilty of crimes against humanity—including murder, attempted murder, inhuman acts and persecution—and war crimes, and were sentenced to between 18 and 25 years of imprisonment.
The case centered on violence caused by members of the Popular Front for the Rebirth of the Central African Republic (Front Populaire pour la Renaissance de la Centrafrique), an armed group from the former Séléka coalition, that resulted in dozens killed and hundreds displaced in the town of Ndélé in March 2020. The case was first brought to the SCC later that year, and testimonies from victims were heard in February and March, 2025.
The establishment of the SCC is described [11] as opening "one of the most interesting and exciting landscapes in the field of international criminal law," building on the legacy of other hybrid tribunals like the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia [12] (ECCC).
The SCC is a hybrid international court [13] set up in Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic, in 2015. International human rights scholars [14] have anticipated that the SCC will fill in "the justice gap left by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the CAR." The court is integrated [15] into the Central African Republic's internal judicial system and staffed by both international and Central African judges, prosecutors and administrators. Its mandate [16] is to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes committed in the country since 2003. The Ndélé 2 case is the third to be heard by the SCC, following the Paoua and Ndélé 1 cases.
From JURIST [17], June 21. Used with permission
See our last report on the Central African Republic war crimes cases [18].
