Two top leaders of a predominantly Christian militia in the Central African Republic have been sentenced to more than a decade in prison by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s brutal civil war in 2013 and 2014.

Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, a former president of the CAR Football Federation, and Alfred Yekatom, a rebel commander popularly known as “Rambo,” were convicted on Thursday for orchestrating and participating in atrocities against Muslim civilians.

The pair were senior figures in the anti-Balaka militia, which emerged in 2013 in response to the takeover of Bangui by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.

The ICC’s presiding judge, Bertram Schmitt, detailed chilling accounts of violence carried out under their command, including killings, torture, and widespread attacks on Muslim communities.

“The victims were targeted because of their religion,” Judge Schmitt said in The Hague, Netherlands.

He said further that, “These crimes were not random, they were part of a widespread and systematic attack.”

Sentencing

Yekatom, who was convicted of 20 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, received a 15-year sentence. His fighters were found to have committed acts of gruesome torture, including the mutilation of a suspect whose fingers, toes, and an ear were cut off. The victim’s body was never recovered.

Ngaissona, who received 12 years for 28 counts, was also implicated in leading and supporting coordinated attacks on Muslim civilians, including the looting and destruction of mosques, shops, and homes.

“The court acknowledges the immense suffering of the victims,” Schmitt said. “These crimes left entire communities shattered.”

Wearing a light brown suit, white shirt, and dark tie, Yekatom remained expressionless as the verdict was read. Ngaissona, in a bright blue jacket, nodded toward the judge as he was handed his sentence.

Both men had pleaded not guilty to all charges when the trial began in 2021. They were, however, acquitted of some charges, Yekatom was found not guilty of conscripting child soldiers, while Ngaissona was acquitted of rape.

ICC’s first case

This marks the first ICC case to address the violence that erupted in the CAR following the Seleka’s seizure of power in 2013, a conflict that left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

Yekatom was extradited to The Hague in 2018 after being arrested for firing his gun inside parliament. Ngaissona was arrested later that year in France and extradited as well.

The trial of Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, a former Seleka commander, is still ongoing at the ICC.

Meanwhile, separate proceedings are expected to begin Friday in the CAR against Edmond Beina and five others. Prosecutors allege Beina led between 100 and 400 anti-Balaka fighters who carried out a series of massacres targeting Muslims in early 2014.

Despite some return to calm, the Central African Republic, one of the poorest countries in the world, continues to experience sporadic violence in remote areas.

The national army, supported by Russian mercenaries and Rwandan forces, still battles rebel groups resisting government control.