The International Criminal Court has changed plans to hold a hearing in Uganda to confirm charges against a notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander, fearing political tensions ahead of upcoming elections.Dominic Ongwen is the first commander of the LRA rebel group led by the fugitive Joseph Kony to appear before the ICC, where he faces charges for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors accuse Ongwen and his troops of at least 67 crimes against civilians fleeing the LRA’s decades-long reign of terror.
The ICC had initially declared it “desirable” that the hearing should take place in Uganda, near the scene of his alleged crimes.
But after talks with Ugandan authorities, the court decided that political tensions surrounding February’s presidential elections “may have an adverse impact on the court.”
“Today the presidency of the ICC decided that the confirmation of charges hearing in the case against Dominic Ongwen, scheduled for January 21, will take place in The Hague,” the ICC said in a statement seen by APA on Friday. Read more
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