A Former CAR football Official and Militia Leader is Found Guilty of War Crimes in 2013 and 2014 by the ICC
The former minister and leader of the CAR football association, Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for 28 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Former MP and militia leader Alfred Yekatom, known as “Rambo,” was convicted of 20 charges, including torture and murder, and given a 15-year sentence.
Senior members of the predominantly Christian anti-Balaka militia, which was established as a vigilante self-defense organization against the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels that deposed President François Bozizé, included both men. The ICC described the horrifying murders and mutilations committed by its forces on Muslim citizens. Some victims’ bodies were never found, and Yekatom’s soldiers tortured them by amputating their fingers, toes, and ears.
In 2018, Yekatom was detained in the CAR after firing a gun in parliament and sent to The Hague, while Ngaïssona was extradited from France. Both men refuted the accusations. The court found Yekatom not guilty of recruiting child soldiers and cleared Ngaïssona of rape charges.
Since gaining independence, the CAR has been beset by ongoing violence, making it one of the poorest nations in the world. The current calm has been shaky, with fighting breaking out periodically between rebel groups and government forces backed by Rwandan and Russian troops.
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