The International Criminal Court Thursday convicted a former top Central African Republic football official and a militiaman nicknamed Rambo for war crimes committed during the country’s civil war in 2013 and 2014.
Ex-sports minister Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona was a senior leader of mainly Christian militias as the country slid into civil war, while Alfred Yekatom, a former MP, commanded them on the ground.
The ICC sentenced Yekatom to 15 years behind bars for 20 war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder and torture.
Ngaissona received 12 years for 28 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Their militia, known as anti-Balaka or “anti-machete”, were formed as vigilante self-defence groups after mainly Muslim rebels called the Seleka stormed the capital Bangui and removed then-president Francois Bozize, a Christian.
Presiding judge Bertram Schmitt read harrowing details of the violence committed by the militia against suspected Seleka Muslims.
Yekatom’s men tortured one suspect by cutting off his fingers, toes, and one ear. This man’s body was never found. Others were killed and then mutilated.
Yekatom listened impassively as the judge read out the verdict, while Ngaissona nodded as his sentence was delivered.