ICC judgement exposes Uganda’s failure to protect its people- expert
By Ivan Ssenabulya
The International Criminal Court has faulted government of Uganda for the failure to protect citizens during the 20 year carnage in the North which claimed hundreds of lives.
This is entailed in the full judgment of former LRA commander Dominic Ongwen, by panel of three judges presided over by Bertram Schmitt.
The ICC on Thursday found Ongwen guilty of 61 counts out of the 70 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity including; murder, rape, sexual enslavement, forced marriage ,abducting young children under the age of 15, torture among others that were carried out in the early 2000s.
Breaking down the judgment, Sarah Kihika Kasande the head of International Center for Transitional Justice, Uganda office said that court noted that in most attacks UPDF flee instead of protecting the villagers.
She says that the Judgement exposed the failure by the state because some attacks could be prevented.
Ongwen committed the crimes to civilians in IDP camps of Lukodi, Pajule, Idek and Poka between October 2003 and June 2004 in Northern Uganda.
Ongwen who is yet to be sentenced, is the first member of the Lord’s Resistance Army to appear before ICC and to be convicted.
