A special court on December 16, 2024 ordered the Ugandan state to pay up to 2,400 euros per person to the victims of Thomas Kwoyelo, one of the most notorious commanders of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Sentenced at the end of October to 40 years in prison for war crimes – including murder, torture, rape and kidnapping – Kwoyelo today embodies a strong symbol of post-conflict justice efforts in this country. But will this long-awaited compensation really be applied?
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The judgment against Thomas Kwoyelo is a step forward, but it remains limited: it only concerns 103 victims, while nearly 100,000 people were killed during the 20 years of conflict led by the LRA in the north of Uganda.
What’s new is that this decision comes from the Court of International Crimes in Uganda, a national court created to try war crimes. Unlike the trial of Dominic Ongwen, another commander who was tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC, in the Netherlands), Uganda is taking responsibility here to deal with these crimes locally.
In terms of reactions, a feeling of justice dominates. Former victim Betty Lalam says: “ They did terrible things: they raped people, young girls, they grabbed them and raped them. They forced you to do things against your will. It was a very difficult situation. So, I agree with this court decision, even if I was in another group. But other victims have told me about the atrocities they suffered. »
The government rejects this judgment
Betty Lalam is certainly a former victim, too. But she lived under the tyranny of another commander and will not receive compensation. This clearly illustrates the complexity of this decision against Thomas Kwoyelo, himself a former child soldier who became a commander in the LRA.
The application of the decision also depends, moreover, on political will: the government already rejects this judgment, affirming that it has no legal basis. There also remains the question of means: compensating each victim to the tune of 2,400 euros seems uncertain. But if these funds were actually paid, it could be a game-changer for these victims. Many were deprived of economic activity during two decades of war.
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A Ugandan court has found former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commander Thomas Kwoyelo guilty of 44 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Arrested more than 15 years ago in Garamba Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he was the first LRA leader to be tried by a national court.