By  Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC TIMES 

Alfred Yekatom (AKA ‘Rambo’)  was surrendered to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague Saturday by authorities of the Central African Republic (“CAR”).  The former militia leader will face trial for alleged crimes against humanity.  The ICC had issued a warrant of arrest against Yekatom on 11 November 2018 for his alleged criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in western CAR between December 2013 and August 2014.  According to the  ICC,  Pre-Trial Chamber II – composed of Judge Antoine Kesia‐Mbe Mindua, Presiding, Judge Tomoko Akane and Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala – was satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe that an armed conflict not of an international character was ongoing on the territory of the CAR since at least September 2013 until at least December 2014 between the Seleka – a coalition of armed groups predominantly composed of Muslims – and the Anti-Balaka – a predominantly Christian counter movement to the Seleka. The Chamber also found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that, from at least September 2013 until at least December 2014, a wide spreadand systematic attack was carried out by the Anti-Balaka against the Muslim civilian population and anyone perceived to support the Seleka.

Credit: arabnews.com /   File photo taken on October 29, 2018. Members of the armed forces arrest Central African MP Alfred Yekatom aka”Rambo” (C), who represents the southern M’baiki district formermilitia leader, after he fired the gun at the parliament in Bangui.  (AFP)

Yekatom was allegedly commanding a group of around 3,000 members which operated within the Anti-Balaka movement. He is alleged to be responsible for crimes committed in this context in various locations in the CAR, including Bangui and the Lobaye Prefecture, between 5 December 2013 and August 2014, as follows:

• crimes against humanity:  murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population, imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture,persecution, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts; and
• war crimes:  murder, torture and cruel treatment, mutilation, intentional attack against the civilian population, intentional attack against buildings dedicated to religion, enlistment of children under the age of 15 years and their use to participate actively in hostilities, displacement of the civilian population and destruction of the adversary’s property.

SOURCE: ICC