An Ugandan court has sentenced Thomas Kwoyelo, a former commander of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), to 40 years in prison for war crimes, Al Jazeera reports.
This landmark ruling marks the first time a member of the LRA has been tried by Uganda’s judiciary for atrocities committed during the group’s brutal two-decade reign of terror.
The sentence was announced on Friday by Judge Michael Elubu at a court in the northern city of Gulu. Kwoyelo was found guilty in August of 44 offenses, including murder and rape. While he was acquitted of three counts of murder, 31 alternate offenses were dismissed.
The trial was conducted under a special division of the high court dedicated to international crimes. It represents a significant step towards achieving justice for victims of the LRA’s brutal campaign, which involved widespread atrocities such as hacking off limbs, mutilating victims, and using crude instruments to kill.
Kwoyelo, believed to be in his fifties, served as a low-level commander within the LRA, responsible for caring for injured members. He claims to have been abducted by the LRA at the age of 12 while on his way to school in 1987 and forced to join their ranks. He eventually rose to a senior command position, using the alias Latoni, and oversaw the treatment of wounded fighters.
In 2009, Kwoyelo was captured in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a raid by regional forces. The LRA had been driven out of northern Uganda into neighboring countries by Ugandan military offensives a few years earlier. He spent the next 14 years in prison awaiting trial, enduring a long pre-trial detention period that led some to advocate for his release.
However, others, including victims, maintained that Kwoyelo was complicit in killings and torture and should face justice. Judge Elubu ruled that Kwoyelo would avoid the death penalty due to his recruitment at a young age, his relatively low ranking within the LRA, and his expressions of remorse and willingness to reconcile with victims.
The LRA, led by Joseph Kony, terrorized Ugandans for nearly 20 years, aiming to overthrow the government of President Yoweri Museveni. The group is notorious for its brutal tactics and the abduction of thousands of children, who were forced into sexual slavery or used as child soldiers.
The LRA is designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
