A child soldier turned rebel commander was sentenced on Friday to 40 years in prison for a series of brutal crimes.
Thomas Kwoyelo, a former commander of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels received his sentence for the most heinous crimes his group committed while fighting an insurgency against the Ugandan government, including multiple murders, rapes, pillaging, and enslavement.
In August, Thomas Kwoyelo was convicted on 44 of the 78 charges made against him for crimes committed during the LRA insurgency between 1992 and 2005. His sentencing was delivered by a High Court panel in Gulu, a northern Ugandan city previously impacted by LRA activity.
He does have the right to appeal the sentence.
Justice Gained For Victims
Kwoyelo's trial, which began in 2019 after his 2009 detention, represented a significant effort by Ugandan authorities to gain justice for atrocities committed during the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency.
Human Rights Watch described the trial as "a rare opportunity for justice for victims" of the two-decade conflict between Ugandan forces and the LRA, highlighting its importance for accountability in the region.
Prosecutors stated that Kwoyelo held the rank of colonel in the LRA and directed attacks on civilians, including those displaced by the conflict.
Is the LRA Leadership Still Alive?
Meanwhile, Joseph Kony, the LRA's leader, is believed to be still hiding in an expansive ungoverned area in central Africa. The U.S. has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Kony's capture, and he remains wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in the insurgency.
One of Joseph Kony's top lieutenants, Dominic Ongwen, was sentenced to 25 years by the ICC in 2021 for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Thousands of other former LRA fighters have been granted amnesty by the Ugandan government, but Kwoyelo, captured in Congo, was denied such clemency.
Ugandan authorities have not provided an explanation for why Kwoyelo's case was treated differently, marking a contrast in the handling of justice for former LRA members.
Kwoyelo, denying all charges against him, claimed in his testimony that only LRA leader Joseph Kony could be held accountable for the group's actions, asserting that all members risked death if they disobeyed Kony's orders.
Is the LRA Still Active?
The LRA, originally formed in Uganda as an anti-government rebellion, expanded into Congo and the Central African Republic in the 1980s, where it became infamous for brutal tactics, including forcing boys into combat and enslaving girls. At its peak in the 1990s, the LRA was a highly feared militant group, often evading capture by Ugandan forces.
The LRA faced numerous accusations of massacring members of the Acholi ethnic group, despite its leader, Joseph Kony, being Acholi himself. Kony, a self-proclaimed messiah, claimed his aim was to rule Uganda by the biblical Ten Commandments.
In 2005, intensified military pressure forced the LRA out of Uganda, scattering its forces across central Africa. The group has since weakened significantly, with reports of LRA attacks now rare.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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