A Ugandan court on Friday sentenced Thomas Kwoyelo, a former mid-level commander in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), to 40 years in prison after finding him guilty of numerous war crimes, including murder, rape, enslavement, torture, and kidnapping. This marks the first time a senior LRA figure has been prosecuted by Uganda’s judiciary.
Kwoyelo’s conviction in August is a significant step toward justice for victims of the LRA, a rebel group notorious for its brutal tactics under the command of Joseph Kony. Founded in the late 1980s with the aim of toppling the Ugandan government, the LRA waged a near two-decade insurgency from bases in northern Uganda, terrorizing communities with acts of extreme violence.
The LRA became infamous for its shocking cruelty, including rapes, abductions, and brutal mutilations of civilians. Many survivors bear lifelong scars, both physical and psychological, from attacks where the rebels would sever limbs or bludgeon victims to death using crude weapons. Kwoyelo’s sentencing is seen as a milestone in the pursuit of accountability for the LRA’s reign of terror.
