Congo Arrests War Crimes Suspect

By Lauren McCollough

A third war crimes suspect from the Congo has been arrested and turned over to the International Criminal Court for trial.  Mathieu Ngudjolo, 37, joins fellow Congolese suspects, Thomas Lubanga and Germain Katanga, in detention in The Hague.

Ngudjolo was arrested while undergoing military training in Kinshasa.  He had recently been appointed as a colonel in the national army; part of a 2007 peace brokering deal between Congolese President Joseph Kabila and militia leaders who agreed to demobilize as paramilitaries.

Ngudjolo is charged with crimes committed in 2003, when he was leading the Front for National Integration (FNI).  The FNI is a Lendu rebel group, who actively fought against the Hema tribe and is credited with the ambush and murder of nine UN peacekeepers in 2005.   Ngudjolo is accused of three crimes against humanity: murder, sexual slavery and inhumane acts.  He is also charged with six counts of war crimes, including the use of child soldiers.**

The ICC reports there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that Ngudjolo’s forces were responsible for the murder of approximately 200 civilians and the forced sexual slavery of women and children during an attack on the Hema town of Bogoro in the Ituri district of northeastern Congo in 2003.

Thomas Lubanga, the first war crimes suspect to appear before the Hague-based court, is the alleged leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots, a militia group opposed to Ngudjolo’s FNI.  The second suspect, Katanga, is accused of crimes also committed at Bogoro. He was leader of the Patriotic Force of Resistance in Ituri (FRPI), an ally of the FNI.  Lubanga is set to go to trial sometime this year, while charges against Katanga are still pending a hearing of confirmation.  The Court hopes to try Katanga and Ngudjolo together. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) experienced back-to-back armed conflicts in 1998 and 2002, ranging from civil war to international conflict between nation-states. In 2004, the DRC referred crimes committed in the country to the ICC.  The Court, established in 2002, chose the conflict in the DRC for its inaugural case. The ICC applauded the Congolese government for their continued cooperation and assistance in detaining Ngudjolo. 

**Crimes against humanity and war crimes often overlap.  Crimes against humanity are most distinguishable from war crimes in that they apply during times of war and peace, while war crimes are only applicable during conflict. 

Related Links:

Third detainee for the International Criminal Court: Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui

International Criminal Court

February 2008

ICC/DRC: New War Crimes Suspect Arrested

Human Rights Watch

February 2008

Third Congo Warlord to Face Justice

Institute for War and Peace Reporting

February 2008

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