Alleged warlord facing international criminal court trial

Judges at the International Criminal Court today ordered an alleged Congolese warlord to be tried on charges he recruited child soldiers and sent them into battle, making him the first suspect to stand trial at the permanent war crimes court.

A three-judge chamber found evidence was strong enough to “establish substantial grounds to believe” that Thomas Lubanga was responsible “for war crimes consisting of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15”, said presiding judge Claude Jorda of France.

These children were forced to take part in armed conflicts, the court found, issuing its findings from a lengthy preliminary hearing in November on the prosecution’s charges.

Lubanga faces three charges of recruiting and deploying child soldiers in the bloody conflict in the Ituri region of eastern Congo in 2002-2003. He faces a maximum life sentence if convicted.

Jorda said that during fighting, some children “were led to kill, and many recruits, including minors under the age of 15, lost their lives in battle”.

Prosecutors expect the landmark trial to start later this year.