A UN-backed court in the Central African Republic has begun the trial in absentia of former President François Bozizé over alleged crimes against humanity committed between 2009 and 2013.
The Special Criminal Court (SCC) in Bangui is hearing the case, which accuses Bozizé’s security forces of serious abuses including murder, enforced disappearance, torture, and rape during his time in power.
Bozizé, 79, who ruled the country after seizing power in a 2003 coup before being ousted in 2013, is currently living in exile in Guinea-Bissau.
Three of his former senior military officers—Eugène Barret Ngaïkosset, Vianney Semndiro, and Firmin Junior Danboy—are also linked to the case, with all three currently in pre-trial detention in the country.
The SCC, a hybrid court composed of Central African and international judges, issued an international arrest warrant for Bozizé in February 2024 after investigators found what it described as serious and consistent evidence of his alleged responsibility as a military and hierarchical superior.
The court is mandated to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the country since 2003, following years of conflict and instability.
Bozizé was overthrown in 2013 by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition, an event that triggered a civil war in which thousands of civilians were killed. In response, predominantly Christian and animist militias known as anti-Balaka were formed, deepening the violence.
Both sides have been accused by the United Nations of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
After returning to rebel politics in 2020, Bozizé later went into exile following renewed conflict and political pressure, including the intervention of Russian-linked Wagner mercenaries supporting government forces.
He was previously sentenced in absentia in 2022 to life with hard labour for conspiracy, rebellion, and murder.
