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WORLD NEWS Friday 20 September 2019

ICC pretrial hearing starts in Central African Republic case

By MIKE CORDER fighters drawn from the gations into crimes by the
Associated Press ranks of local self-defense Seleka.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands groups. Yekatom "is defending him-
(AP) — Prosecutors urged "From exile, Mr. Ngaissona self in the dark," Dimitri told
International Criminal Court and other members of the panel.
judges Thursday to put on Bozize's inner circle used Central African Republic's
trial two alleged leaders of these groups," Vanderpuye government asked the
a predominantly Christian told judges. "They exploited ICC in 2014 to investigate
militia involved in a bitter the vengeance and ha- crimes allegedly commit-
conflict with Muslim forces tred felt by the people to ted by both the Seleka and
in Central African Repub- create a formidable fight- the anti-Balaka. So far, no
lic, saying they armed and ing force which could de- Seleka fighters have been
incited members to attack feat the Seleka, opening publicly targeted by the
Muslim civilians in an at- the way for them to reclaim court's chief prosecutor,
tempt to regain power. power." Fatou Bensouda.
Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona However, the anti-Balaka Judges will likely take In this Friday Nov. 23, 2018 file photo, Alfred Yekatom, a Central
and Alfred Yekatom are did not limit themselves to months to decide wheth- African Republic lawmaker and militia leader who goes by the
suspected of involvement fighting Seleka forces and er to send the suspects to nickname Rambo, appears before the International Criminal
in war crimes and crimes instead "relentlessly ter- trial.q Court, ICC, in The Hague, Netherlands.
against humanity includ- rorized" Muslim civilians as Associated Press
ing murder, persecution, well, he said.
torture and the use of child The prosecutor told judges
soldiers when they were se- that the anti-Balaka fight-
nior leaders in the anti-Bal- ers used child soldiers to
aka militia. They have not commit atrocities, recount-
entered pleas. ing the story of one former
Prosecutor Kweku Vander- child soldier who told pros-
puye told a three-judge ecutors he was ordered to
panel at the global court stab or cut off the ears of
that the crimes followed Muslim prisoners.
atrocities by Muslim forc- "When the prisoner was ex-
es known as the Seleka hausted we would dig a
as they seized power in shallow grave about knee
Central African Republic height, put him in and then
in 2013, forcing President the chiefs will come back
Francois Bozize to flee into and kill him," Vanderpuye
exile. said, quoting the former
The interreligious violence child soldier.
left thousands dead and Ngaissona, who was chief
displaced hundreds of of Central African Repub-
thousands more. lic's soccer federation
Mosques, shops and when he was arrested on
homes were looted and an ICC warrant in Paris last
destroyed. Bursts of deadly year, faces 111 charges.
violence continue today Yekatom, who was turned
despite attempts to make over to the court in 2018,
peace. faces 21 charges.
Vanderpuye alleged that Yekatom's lawyer, Mylène
Ngaissona was an influen- Dimitri, argued that her cli-
tial leader of the anti-Bal- ent cannot adequately de-
aka group and Yekatom a fend himself because pros-
military leader who called ecutors are withholding
himself Rambo and com- evidence that they have
manded thousands of collected in their investi-