Oct. 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Special Criminal Court of the Central African Republic will issue this coming Monday its first verdict of the process on the crimes that occurred during the second civil war that broke out in 2012, when Muslim Séléka militias rose up against then-president François Bozizé only to end up in a conflict without quarter against the so-called anti-balaka self-defense militias, predominantly Christian.
Three alleged perpetrators of the Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation or 3R movement militias are charged in the trial, accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity after the massacre of 46 civilians in the towns of Koundjili and Lemouna, in the north of the country, in May 2019, despite the cessation of hostilities in force at the time.
The defendants, Issa Sallet Adoum, Ousman Yaouba and Tahir Mahamat, will hear the verdict of this hybrid court, backed by the UN, which began its journey four years ago to judge the extremely violent period of clashes that broke out almost a decade ago and is still in progress. the country despite the peace agreement signed in early 2019.
The 3R movement emerged in 2015 with the initial purpose of defending the shepherds of the Peul Muslim ethnic group in the midst of clashes between the Seleka and the anti-Balaka. However, the following year organizations such as Human Rights Watch, specialized in monitoring the international situation of Human Rights, began to denounce a true spectrum of atrocities committed by the militias in their areas of operation.
HRW denounced, for example, the massacre of less than 50 civilians in the sub-prefectures of Bocaranga and Koui between November 21 and 27, 2016, as well as twenty rapes of women and girls. The group has denied any involvement in these attacks, 3R spokesmen told HRW.
Similarly, the group has ensured that the three accused of the Koundjili and Lemouna massacres “were not acting on orders from the commanders” and ensure that the movement adheres to the letter of the conditions of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation signed by the group in February 2019. The movement has also never declared any link with the Séléka militias.
The CAR special court is also competent to judge crimes committed during the first civil war in CAR that broke out in 2004 after Bozizé came to power between the Government and the rebels of the Union of Democratic Forces for Regrouping (UFDR), one of the direct precedents of the second armed conflict led by the Séléka and anti-balaka.
