MOSCOW, January 21 (Sputnik) — A commander of the LRA rebel group in Uganda, responsible for numerous murders, tortures, kidnappings and other human rights abuses was arrested and transferred to the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, according Al Jazeera.
Dominic Ongwen, a head of one of the LRA brigades, is being charged with murder and enslavement, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power said. She held that the upcoming trial “is a welcome development in the international community's campaign to counter the LRA's dehumanizing violence, and to bring perpetrators to justice after more than two decades of the LRA's brutal campaign of torture, rape and murder."
Ongwen, who was himself abducted as a 10-year old boy, quickly made a ‘military career’ in the LRA. He was appointed as a major when he was 18 and then became a brigadier in his late 20s. The combatant became known for his brutality against civilian population and his fearlessness during military operations, according to LRA Crisis Tracker.
The LRA is an extremist Christian militant group, operating in Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Kongo and Central African Republic. The group has been blamed for severe human rights abuses, including killings, kidnappings, child-sex slavery and child soldiers’ recruitment.
