Ugandan court sentences ex-rebel 40 years in prison

A former commander of Uganda’s infamous Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has received a 40-year prison sentence following a historic war crimes trial. Thomas Kwoyelo was convicted of 44 counts, including murder, rape, kidnapping, and pillaging, although he denied all allegations.

This marks the first conviction of an LRA commander by a Ugandan court. Formed in the late 1980s, the LRA is accused of committing widespread atrocities across Uganda and nearby countries.

Kwoyelo’s trial took place in Gulu, a northern Ugandan city deeply impacted by the LRA’s brutal activities over more than 20 years. One particularly horrific incident was the 2004 attack on a displaced civilian camp in Pagak, where dozens of women and children were beaten to death with clubs.

The Ugandan High Court's International Crimes Division chose not to impose the death penalty or life imprisonment, citing Kwoyelo’s forced recruitment into the LRA as a child soldier. The group was notorious for kidnapping children, often forcing boys into combat and enslaving girls. Kwoyelo claims he was only 12 when he was taken.

In its ruling, the court noted Kwoyelo’s expressions of remorse and assessed that he no longer posed a threat.

The LRA, led by Joseph Kony, terrorized communities in northern Uganda and later expanded its operations to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. While once feared, the group has been largely neutralized, and international efforts to capture Kony were suspended when he was no longer seen as a threat.

Kwoyelo initially faced 78 charges; however, three murder charges were acquitted, and 31 other charges were dropped. Having already spent 15 years in detention, his prison term was 25 years. His defense team plans to appeal, with the court granting them 14 days to do so.

Meanwhile, the court will hold a separate hearing to address reparations for Kwoyelo’s victims. In a similar case, the International Criminal Court in 2021 sentenced another LRA commander, Dominic Ongwen, to 25 years, also considering his childhood abduction and indoctrination by the rebels.