Ex-LRA rebel commander now in The Hague

Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said the detention of Dominic Ongwen, a former commander with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), in The Hague meant that the world was "one step closer to ending the LRA's reign of terror in the African Great Lakes region."

Bensouda underlined the horror caused by the LRA over more than 25 years.

"The LRA has reportedly killed tens of thousands and displaced millions of people; [it has] terrorized civilians, abducted children and forced them to kill and serve as sex slaves. They have hacked off limbs and horribly disfigured men, women and children," Bensouda said.

Ongwen arrived in The Hague on Wednesday (21.01.2015) where he faces four counts of war crimes and three counts of crimes against humanity.

Ongwen surrendered after being on the wanted list for nearly a decade for crimes against humanity, with the United States offering $5 million (4.3 million euros) for his capture.

The ICC said he would appear before judges "as soon as possible" after a medical check-up.

During the initial hearing Ongwen will be expected to confirm his identity and decide which language will be used in the proceedings.

Ongwen was abducted as a teenager from his home in Gulu in northern Uganda and was forced to join the LRA led by Joseph Kony, who is still a fugitive from international justice.

As a commander, Ongwen led attacks on government forces and civilians.

Mitigating circumstances?

Okello Oryem,Uganda's deputy minister for foreign affairs, told DW that because Onwen "might have been a minor when he was abducted, he was not a willing participant." This, Oryem believes, "will work towards mitigating his case at the ICC."

Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association , told DW's AfricaLink radio show that the fact that Ongwen had lived his entire life as a soldier would bear on the court. But he added: "I do not think it will in any way distract from the court's position that he has - at least in the prosecutor's mind - committed crimes and that he will be held responsible for those crimes."

Perhaps surprisingly, one of Ongwen's victims has offered to testify in his defense. Titus Obali was just 15 when he was abducted by the LRA in 1996 in an operation led by Ongwen, whom he now evidently regards primarily as an LRA victim.

Obali told DW he wanted to testify as a victim about another victim "not as a victim against a perpetrator."

There have been calls from leaders in northern Uganda for the setting up of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address crimes committed by the LRA.

One local leader from Ongwen's Acholi tribe, Daniel Onen Achan, said "as much as they committed atrocities, they were also taken against their will and we all failed to protect them from being taken."

The LRA's rebellion started in Uganda and spread across several central African nations.

Rights activists have welcomed Ongwen's detention by the ICC. Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said his transfer to The Hague was a major step for those affected by the LRA's long history of crimes. "All eyes will now be on the ICC to deliver fair, meaningful justice that will resonate with the LRA's victims."