Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) urged judges on Monday to convict Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona and Alfred Yekatom, two men accused of leading Christian-dominated militias in violent attacks against Muslims in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2013 and 2014.
In their closing arguments, prosecutors argued they had proven beyond reasonable doubt that both men were central to a campaign of violence targeting Muslim civilians. They called for a guilty verdict on all war crimes and crimes against humanity charges.
Ngaissona, a former football executive, and Yekatom, known as “Rambo,” both pleaded not guilty at the start of their trial in 2021. Prosecutor Kweku Vanderpuye dismissed defense claims that Ngaissona sought to end the violence, emphasizing that he was a longstanding leader of the anti-Balaka militia, a predominantly Christian group.
Yekatom, who commanded around 3,000 militia members, was notorious for executing suspected traitors within his own ranks, according to the prosecution.
The anti-Balaka militia emerged in 2013 following months of violence and looting by Muslim Seleka rebels who had taken control of the country. The ICC has been investigating the violence since May 2014 and is also handling a separate trial of a Seleka leader, with an arrest warrant recently issued for another Christian militia leader.
