A former child soldier and rebel commander of the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has been convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a significant ruling in Uganda. Thomas Kwoyelo was found guilty on 44 counts, which include severe offenses such as murder, kidnapping, and pillaging. He maintained his innocence against all 78 charges presented.
The court acquitted Kwoyelo of three murder charges, with 31 additional charges dismissed. This case marks a historic moment as Kwoyelo is the first LRA commander to face trial in a Ugandan court, reflecting a pivotal advancement in the country’s judicial system.
The trial took place in Gulu city, a region that suffered immensely from LRA activities for over two decades. Dressed in a dark suit and red tie, Kwoyelo displayed no visible reaction when the judge read out the extensive list of guilty verdicts, which included a recounting of civilians killed under his orders. Among the most heinous acts was a brutal assault on a displaced persons camp in Pagak in 2004, where numerous women and children were murdered.
Kwoyelo has been in detention for the past 14 years, a delay attributed to the complexity and gravity of the case. The LRA was established by Joseph Kony over twenty years ago, claiming to seek a government ruled by the biblical Ten Commandments. The group is infamously known for horrendous acts, including mutilating victims and abducting children for use as soldiers and sex slaves, displacing hundreds of thousands in the process.
Initially operating in northern Uganda, the LRA shifted its base to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Kwoyelo was captured in 2009, and later moved to the Central African Republic. Although the LRA has been largely dismantled, Kony remains at large and is wanted for his crimes by international authorities.
Human rights organizations have previously criticized the lengthy proceedings in Kwoyelo’s trial, underlining the broader issue of limited accountability for abuses committed during the prolonged conflict, which also involved violations by state forces. In 2021, another senior LRA leader, Dominic Ongwen, received a 25-year prison sentence from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to his own abduction as a child and subsequent manipulation by the rebels.
Kwoyelo claims to have been abducted by LRA members at just 12 years old while on his way to school. Thousands of former LRA fighters have received amnesty under a controversial Ugandan law after renouncing the group, but this option was not extended to Kwoyelo, who is currently awaiting sentencing.
