International court finds Congolese warlord guilty of recruiting child soldiers

International court finds Congolese warlord guilty of recruiting child soldiers

2012-03-16 09:29:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (BNO NEWS) -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday found Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo guilty of recruiting child soldiers.

In an unanimous decision, the ICC's Trial Chamber I found Dyilo guilty as a co-perpetrator of the war crimes of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 and using them to participate actively in armed activity from September 1, 2002, to August 13, 2003.

According to prosecutors, Dyilo and his co-perpetrators agreed to a common plan to build an army for the purpose of establishing and maintaining political and military control over the region of Ituri, which is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to the court, this resulted in boys and girls under the age of 15 being conscripted and enlisted and used to participate actively in hostilities between the Patriotic Force for the Liberation of the Congo (FPLC), led by Dyilo, and the Armée Populaire Congolaise and other militias, including the Force de résistance patriotique en Ituri.

"[Dyilo] exercised an overall coordinating role regarding the activities of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC)/FPLC and he actively supported recruitment initiatives, for instance by giving speeches to the local population and the recruits," the ICC said in a statement.

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Anthony Lake applauded the decision, describing it a "pivotal victory for the protection of children in conflict," adding that Dyilo's conviction "sends a clear message to all armed groups that enslave and brutalize children: impunity will not be tolerated."

Dyilo, who is the first warlord to face international justice for using children as weapons of war, was transferred to The Hague on March 17, 2006 after an arrest warrant was issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I. The trial, which is the first at the ICC, began on January 26, 2009. The verdict is the first issued by an ICC Trial Chamber, and currently, there are 14 other cases are before the Court, three of which are at the stage of trial.

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