Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have urged judges to convict two leaders of Christian militias accused of orchestrating attacks against Muslims in the Central African Republic (CAR) during 2013 and 2014.
In closing arguments on Monday, the prosecution argued that Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona and Alfred Yekatom played key roles in a campaign of violence targeting Muslim civilians and should be found guilty of all war crimes and crimes against humanity charges.
Both men denied the charges at the start of their trial in 2021.
Prosecutor Kweku Vanderpuye rejected claims that Ngaissona, a former football official, sought to end the violence. “Ngaissona was not a man of peace,” he stated, describing him as a long-standing leader of the “anti-Balaka” Christian militia.
Alfred Yekatom, nicknamed “Rambo,” was accused of commanding around 3,000 militia fighters. Prosecutors alleged he ruled through fear, citing instances where he personally executed three subordinates he deemed traitors.
The anti-Balaka militia emerged in 2013 as a response to violence by Seleka, a predominantly Muslim rebel coalition that seized power earlier that year, leading to months of bloodshed.
The ICC has been investigating CAR’s crisis since 2014. Another trial involving a Seleka leader is ongoing, and an arrest warrant for another Christian militia leader was issued last month.