ICC trial of LRA leader only part of search for justice in Uganda

At the ICC, a commander of a Ugandan group linked to 100,000 deaths is standing trial, but observers worry that only rebels are facing justice for crimes during the brutal civil war.

A former senior commander of a Ugandan rebel group is standing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Dominic Ongwen, a leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, is facing 70 charges, including war crimes and murder.

The rebel group he led is linked to the deaths of 100,000 people, and the abduction of 20,000 children during a 20-year civil war.

However, although both sides are accused of committing atrocities, only rebel leaders are standing before the ICC, leading many in Uganda to question whether it is merely a case of victors’ justice and not a true accounting for the horrific violence of one of Africa’s most brutal wars.

 

Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb reports from Kitgum on the lingering impact of the violence.