A former commander of a Ugandan rebel group has received a 40-year prison sentence for his role in atrocities committed during the conflict. Learn more about the case and its implications for justice in Uganda.
A former commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army was sentenced by a Ugandan court on Friday to 40 years in prison for heinous crimes committed during the group’s insurgency that began in the 1980s.
Thomas Kwoyelo’s prison sentence, stemming from his role as a child soldier who became a rebel commander, pertains to the gravest charges against him. These include numerous counts of murder, rape, pillaging, and enslavement.
In August, Kwoyelo was found guilty on 44 out of the 78 charges against him for crimes committed during the insurgency from 1992 to 2005.
A panel of the High Court in Gulu, a northern city previously affected by LRA activity, delivered the sentence.
He has the option to challenge the sentence.
Kwoyelo, who has been detained since 2009 while Ugandan authorities sought a fair and credible approach to justice, began his trial in 2019. Human Rights Watch noted that his trial represents “a rare opportunity for justice for victims of the two-decade war between” Ugandan forces and the LRA.
Prosecutors stated that Kwoyelo held the rank of colonel in the LRA and commanded violent assaults on civilians, many of whom were already displaced due to the rebellion.
Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, is thought to be concealed within a large expanse of ungoverned wilderness in central Africa. The U.S. has announced a $5 million reward for any information that leads to his capture. Additionally, Kony is sought by the International Criminal Court.
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In 2021, the ICC sentenced Dominic Ongwen, one of Kony’s lieutenants, to 25 years in prison for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Over the years, thousands of other rebel combatants have been granted amnesty by the Ugandan government. However, Kwoyelo, who was captured in neighboring Congo, did not receive such a pardon. Ugandan officials have never provided an explanation for this decision.
Kwoyelo, who rejected the accusations leveled against him, testified that only Kony could be held accountable for LRA crimes. He stated that anyone in the LRA risked death if they disobeyed the warlord.
The LRA initially emerged in Uganda as an anti-government rebellion and eventually expanded its activities to neighboring Congo and the Central African Republic. The group faced accusations of recruiting boys for combat roles and holding girls captive as sex slaves. At the height of its influence, it was known for its extreme brutality, with members successfully evading Ugandan forces in northern Uganda for many years.
The LRA faced accusations of conducting numerous massacres, primarily targeting the Acholi ethnic group. Kony, who is also an Acholi and claims to be a messiah, initially stated that his rebellion aimed to govern Uganda based on the biblical Ten Commandments.
In 2005, military pressure compelled the LRA to leave Uganda, causing the rebels to disperse across various regions of central Africa. In recent years, the group’s presence has diminished significantly, and reports of their attacks have become rare.
