The International Criminal Court has jailed two leaders from the Central African Republic for atrocities targeting Muslim civilians during the 2013–14 civil war.
The former leaders are from the Christian-dominated Anti-Balaka militia. Alfred Yekatom, a former MP known as “Rambo,” was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, a former head of CAR’s football federation, received 12 years.
Judges in The Hague ruled both men were guilty “beyond reasonable doubt” for crimes including murder, torture, persecution, forcible transfer, and attacks on civilians, most of whom were Muslims suspected of supporting the rival Seleka coalition.
Yekatom was found responsible for leading attacks on the capital Bangui, operating from a base at a local school in Yamwara. His forces tortured and mutilated victims — one man had his fingers, toes, and ear severed before disappearing entirely.
Ngaïssona, arrested in France in 2018 and later extradited, was convicted of aiding and abetting many of the same crimes. Both men were also found to have targeted Muslim civilians based on a perceived collective guilt for Seleka abuses, though the court noted religion was instrumentalised rather than the root cause of the violence.
The charges stem from their leadership in Anti-Balaka, which was formed in 2013 after the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power, ousting President François Bozizé.
The ensuing conflict killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands. Mosques, homes and shops were destroyed in widespread sectarian violence.
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Presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt read out the verdict in The Hague.
Both defendants, who denied all charges, appeared solemn as the sentences were handed down. Yekatom was acquitted of charges related to conscripting child soldiers, while rape charges against Ngaïssona were not upheld.
The convictions conclude a trial that began in February 2021, involving 114 witnesses for the prosecution and 56 for the defence. Nearly 2,000 victims participated through legal representatives.
The trial is the ICC’s first to address Anti-Balaka violence. Proceedings against Seleka commander Mahamat Said Abdel Kani are ongoing.
Meanwhile, separate domestic proceedings against six other Anti-Balaka figures are set to begin in CAR.
Though violence in CAR has decreased in recent years, instability remains. Armed groups continue to clash with the national army, which is supported by Rwandan troops and Russian mercenaries.
The country, one of the world’s poorest, has suffered successive coups and conflict since independence from France in 1960.
