By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Accused Central African Republic warlord Alfred Yekatom (AKA ‘Rambo’) appeared before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC ) today in The Hague, Netherlands. Authorities of the Central African Republic (CAR) surrendered Yekatom to the ICC last Saturday. Pre-Trial Chamber II is composed of Judge Antoine Kesia‐Mbe Mindua, Presiding, Judge Tomoko Akane and Judge RosarioSalvatore Aitala. The hearing was held in the presence of the Prosecutor and the Defence. Yekatom was represented by the Office of Public Counsel for the Defence.
The former militia leader will face trial for alleged crimes against humanity. The opening of the confirmation of charges hearing was scheduled for 30 April 2019. The purpose of the confirmation of charges hearing is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed each of the crimes charged. If the charges are confirmed, totally or partly, the case will be transferred to a Trial Chamber, which will conduct the subsequent phase of the proceedings: the trial. 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.
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 former militia 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
Yekatom is accused of leading a particularly horrific attack in Bangui on December 5, 2013, when his group armed with guns, grenades and machetes, attacked Muslims in Boeing district, killing between six to 13 civilians. According to the ICC arrest warrant, Yekatom had been targeted for apprehension since 2015 for “engaging in or providing support for acts that undermine the peace, stability or security in the CAR”.
UN Warns Of Famine In Violent-Prone Central African Republic
The deadly violence in the CAR has reportedly left thousands dead and forced more than a quarter of the population from their homes. The UN warns of famine in CAR. Fighting between the mostly Christian anti-Balaka militia and the mainly Muslim Séléka rebel coalition plunged CAR into civil conflict in 2012, according to the UN. A peace agreement was reached in January 2013, but rebels seized the capital, Bangui, two months later, forcing President François Bozizé to flee.
