UN special envoy welcomes ICC verdict on Congolese warlord ArticleComments (0). Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Julius N. Uma March 14, 2012 (JUBA) — The United Nations Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) on Children and Armed Conflict on Wednesday lauded the verdict of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which found Thomas Lubanga, a Congolese warlord guilty of various war crimes. Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga sits in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court in The Hague August 25, 2011. (Reuters)“Today, impunity ends for Thomas Lubanga and those who recruit and use children in armed conflict,” said Radhika Coomaraswamy. The Hague-based ICC reportedly found Lubanga guilty for the war crime of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 into the Forces patriotiques pour la liberation du Congo (FPLC). “In this age of global media, today’s verdict will reach warlords and commanders across the world and serve as a strong deterrent,” added Coomaraswamy, who is currently in South Sudan. Hundreds of children were reportedly recruited and trained to kill, plunder, and rape by Lubanga and his men during the Ituri conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between 2002 and 2003. The recruitment of children under the age of 15, under the Rome Statute of the ICC, constitutes a war crime. “While Lubanga’s victims have had their childhood forever stolen, I am hopeful that with the justice done today, they will be able to move on with their lives,” said the SRSG, adding that she hopes the world court will provide reparations to the victims and their communities to acknowledge the harm suffered and as a restoration of their rights. In 2008, SRSG Coomaraswamy was called as an expert witness to the Hague-based court, where she underlined that the involvement in armed conflict must take into account children serving in support roles during combat such as spies, messengers, porters, scouts, and cooks. While at the ICC, she reportedly also highlighted that girls often experience sexual slavery, repeated rapes, forced marriages, and forced pregnancies which should be recognized as active participation. However, the judgment, according to Coomaraswamy, is part of a larger international effort to end impunity for violators of children’s rights in conflict and to bring perpetrators to justice, especially those with command responsibility. “I hope that all crimes committed against children in conflict will be duly prosecuted, including by Member States who bear the primary responsibility to bring perpetrators to justice,” she said. Coomaraswamy is currently in South Sudan to witness the signing of a revised action plan, which advocates for the release of children associated with the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the allied militias. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
