The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, the former head of the Central African Republic’s football federation, and Alfred Yekatom, a militia commander, of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Ngaïssona was found guilty of 28 charges, including murder, torture, and persecution of Muslims, while Yekatom was convicted of 20 charges.
The crimes were committed between 2013 and 2014, during which the anti-Balaka, a mostly Christian militia, targeted Muslim civilians in the Central African Republic.
Ngaïssona, who was also a former sports minister and member of the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Yekatom, nicknamed “Rambo,” received a 15-year prison sentence.
Both men had denied all charges, but the ICC judges found them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt after a trial lasting almost four years, involving over 170 witnesses and nearly 20,000 items of evidence.
The conflict in the Central African Republic began in 2013 when predominantly Muslim rebels from the Séléka group seized power, leading to violent clashes with the mostly Christian anti-Balaka militia.
The ICC’s verdict marks an important step towards justice for victims of atrocity crimes in the country.
