Congolese 'Terminator' rebel leader found guilty of war crimes at International Criminal Court
- Bosco Ntaganda was deemed responsible for the massacre of children and babies, the rape and sexual slavery of underage girls and recruiting of child soldiers
- He was a ‘key leader’ who gave orders to ‘target and kill civilians’ in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri region in 2002 and 2003, judges heard
Ntaganda, 45, was a “key leader” who gave orders to “target and kill civilians” in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s volatile, mineral-rich Ituri region in 2002 and 2003, head judge Robert Fremr said.
The atrocities included a massacre at a village where children and babies were disembowelled or had their heads smashed in, the judge said.
Ntaganda was also responsible for the rape and sexual slavery of underage girls, and of recruiting troops under the age of 15, as well as guilty of personally killing a Roman Catholic priest, the court said.
Ntaganda “fulfilled a very important military function, he was one of the key leaders” of the rebel group, judges said, adding that his “skills were held in high regard.”
He “endorsed criminal conduct”, such as the targeting and killing of civilians, “by his by own orders”, the judges said.