Former Ugandan rebel commander sentenced to 40 years for war crimes

By Hamza Kyeyune

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - A Ugandan court on Friday sentenced Thomas Kwoyelo, a former commander in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), to 40 years in prison for war crimes, marking a landmark conviction against the notorious rebel group in the country.

The International Crimes Division of the High Court convicted Kwoyelo in August on 78 of 93 charges, including crimes against humanity, linked to the LRA’s violent insurgency against the Ugandan government between 1992 and 2005. This is Uganda’s first domestic trial and sentencing of an LRA member.

Kwoyelo, the first top LRA commanders to face a Ugandan court, received a sentence longer than that of former LRA leader Dominic Ongwen, who was sentenced in The Hague to 25 years for crimes against humanity.

Separately, the International Criminal Court (ICC) awarded over €52 million ($56 million) in reparations to nearly 50,000 LRA victims, with judges requesting assistance from the Trust Fund for Victims to cover costs.