
A former top commander of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group was found guilty of dozens of war crimes on Tuesday.
Thomas Kwoyelo was convicted by the Gulu High Court’s International Crimes Division on 78 out of 93 charges.
The charges against Kwoyelo include a litany of atrocities committed during the LRA’s brutal insurgency, which plagued northern Uganda from 1992 to 2005.
These crimes against humanity encompass murder, torture, rape, enslavement, and kidnapping.
The court did not immediately impose a sentence.
Kwoyelo’s trial, which began in September 2018, marked a significant milestone in Uganda’s pursuit of justice for victims of the LRA.
His conviction is also historic as it is the first time a top-level LRA commander has faced trial within the country for crimes committed during the conflict.
The verdict comes as a result of years of investigation and prosecution by the Ugandan government.
Kwoyelo was apprehended by the Ugandan Army in the Democratic Republic of Congo in March 2009 and has been in custody ever since.
This case is also groundbreaking as it is the inaugural trial conducted under the High Court’s special division dedicated to international crimes.