- The former Congolese warlord, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo has pleaded not guilty before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the use of child soldiers in the five year Congolese civil war.
Mr Lubanga, 46, who founded and led a militia group in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri district, was arrested in 2006 for allegedly recruiting children below 15 to kill members of the rival ethnic group during the country's war between 1998 and 2003.
The ICC Chief Prosecutor Louis Moreno-Ocampo said the prosecution would prove that between 1 September 2002 and 13 August 2003, Mr Lubanga recruited children under 15 as soldiers.
"The children still suffer the consequences of Mr Lubanga's crimes. They cannot forget what they suffered, what they saw, what they did. They were nine, 11, 13 years old," the Prosecutor said.
Mr Lubanga's trial was originally scheduled to begin in June 2008. However, the judges of the trial chamber unanimously decided to suspend the trial because the prosecution could not disclose a number of documents collected confidentially from information providers as permitted under the Rome Statute, causing concerns that Mr Lubanga would not receive a fair trial.
The prosecution worked with these information providers to address the judges' concerns, and in November 2008 the trial chamber allowed proceedings to resume.
Mr Lubanga was the leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) and its armed wing at the time of the alleged crimes, and is still said to have strong support among his Hema community in Ituri.
Mr Lubanga, the first person to have been surrendered to the Court since its inception, his trial will be the first in the history of the Court to see victims participate fully in the proceedings.
In total, the judges have recognised 93 persons as victims for the purpose of participating in the case and the interests of these persons will be defended by eight legal representatives.
The trial of Mr Lubanga is expected to take several months according to the court's communiqué.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español