Jan 21, 2015

LRA commander Dominic Ongwen arrives at Hague court

Dominic Ongwen in the Central African Republic (14 January 2015) The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Dominic Ongwen in 2005
Top Ugandan rebel commander Dominic Ongwen has arrived in The Hague to stand trial on war crimes charges.
Mr Ongwen, a feared commander of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), was taken into custody at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on arrival.
He was arrested in the Central African Republic (CAR) earlier this month.
His trial will be the first time that a member of the LRA, led by the notorious warlord Joseph Kony, has faced international justice.
Uganda agreed that he should be tried by the ICC despite being a fierce critic of The Hague-based court.
US and African forces had been searching for Mr Ongwen since 2011.
Dominic Ongwen (centre right) in the Central African Republic accompanied by Ugandan Contingent Commander to the African Union Regional Task Force Col Michael Kabango (right) Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Bangui David Brown (left) and other unidentified military officials  
Mr Ongwen (in a blue shirt) appeared before journalists at an undisclosed location in the Central African Republic on 17 January before flying from Bangui to The Hague
He is said to be the deputy to LRA commander Joseph Kony, who is still on the run.
The ICC said in a statement that Mr Ongwen will be held in a detention centre in the Netherlands until his trial.
He will undergo a medical visit and a date will soon be set for his first court appearance, the statement added.
The UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon both issued statements welcoming Mr Ongwen's transfer. Mr Ban called it "a step forward in efforts to bring justice to the thousands of victims of LRA violence".