Ex-Football official gets sentenced by ICC to prision for war crimes

(MENAFN)
The International Criminal Court has sentenced Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, former head of the Central African Republic’s football federation, to prison for his role in atrocities committed during a violent conflict in the country. He was found guilty of multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity, alongside rebel leader Alfred Yekatom, known by the alias “Rambo.”

In a ruling issued Thursday from The Hague, judges sentenced Ngaissona to 12 years and Yekatom to 15 years in prison. According to the court, both were convicted of crimes including murder, targeted attacks on civilians, forced displacement, torture, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

The charges stem from their leadership in Anti-balaka, a Christian-led armed faction that carried out brutal assaults against Muslim populations between December 2013 and December 2014. The group emerged as a reaction to the predominantly Muslim Seleka coalition, which had previously taken control of the country after toppling President Francois Bozize.

Ngaissona, who also held a government role in the past, was accused of funding and arming Anti-balaka fighters in towns such as Bossangoa, Gaga, and Berberati. Meanwhile, Yekatom, once a member of parliament, allegedly commanded around 3,000 militants and orchestrated assaults in the capital Bangui and in Lobaye province. Witness testimony detailed how his forces terrorized Muslim civilians using weapons like grenades, machetes, and rifles.

Both defendants denied the allegations at the start of their trial in February 2021 after being extradited to the Netherlands. The ICC’s trial chamber reviewed testimony from approximately 75 individuals, including survivors and former affiliates of the armed group.

“The Chamber found Mr Ngaissona and Mr Yekatom guilty beyond any reasonable doubt of a number of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the court confirmed.

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