ICC convicts two militia leaders of persecuting Muslims in Central African Republic

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Central African Republic's soccer executive and alleged militia leader, Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona appears before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, January 25, 2019. Koen Van Weel/Pool via Reuters

THE HAGUE  -  Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday convicted two men of leading Christian-dominated militias in attacks on Muslims in the Central African Republic in 2013 and 2014 and sentenced them to up to 15 years in prison.

Judges said Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, a former football executive, and militia commander Alfred Yekatom helped to lead a campaign of violence against Muslim civilians and convicted them of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, torture, forcible transfer and persecution of Muslim civilians.

Both men pleaded not guilty at the start of their trial in 2021.

Judges ruled Ngaissona was a long-time leader of the mostly Christian militia forces known as "anti-Balaka". He was sentenced to 12 years. 

Yekatom, nicknamed "Rambo", commanded some 3,000 militia members and praised members of his militia who committed atrocities, the court found. He received a 15-year prison sentence.

The anti-Balaka militia took up arms in 2013 in response to months of looting and killing by mostly Muslim Seleka rebels who had seized power in March the same year.

The ICC has been investigating the violence in the Central African Republic since May 2014. A trial of one Seleka leader is under way at the ICC.

 (Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg, Editing by William Maclean // REUTERS)