Two leaders of the anti-Balaka Christian militia in the Central African Republic have been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated during the 2013–2014 civil war by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
For acts including murder, torture, and civilian assault, Alfred Yekatom—also known as Rambo—got 15 years in prison. His soldiers were brutal, maiming Muslim civilians and murdering.
For 28 counts of comparable crimes, Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, former head of the Central African Republic’s football association, was given 12 years. He was convicted of arranging anti-Balaka attacks and backing them.
Founded after Seleka rebels—a mainly Muslim group—overthrew President François Bozizé in 2013, both men were vital leaders in the anti-Balaka militia. Widespread atrocities resulted from the retaliatory violence, with hundreds of thousands of refugees and thousands of deaths.
This is the first ICC case concentrating on post-Seleka rise-to-power violence. Proceedings against Edmond Beina, another anti-Balaka leader, are due to start in CAR, and a separate trial of Seleka commander Mahamat Said is ongoing.
Although violence has decreased, some areas of CAR are still unsteady with sporadic fights between rebels, Russian mercenaries, and Rwandan soldiers.
