UGANDA: 27,000 LRA EX-COMBATANTS RISK FACING TRIAL BEFORE ICC

Government of Uganda since the enactment of the Amnesty Act 2000, has issued amnesty certificates to over 27,300 Lord`s Resistance Army-LRA combatants. The Act pardons combatants who abandon the group and renounce involvement in the war.

However, Maria Kamara Mabinty, the Head of International Criminal Court Field Office for Uganda says an amnesty certificate does not protect one from being tried by the world court for grave crimes.

Mabinty says the world court has the capacity to indict, try and convict any person accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide regardless of their amnesty certificates.

The ICC outreach officer says the Rome Statute of the ICC do not provide for an immunity to an accused person whether they hold the amnesty certificate.

Also the Act is not applicable to the rebel commanders Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Dominic Ongwen and Raska Lukwiya who were indicted in 2005 by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

She explained that as long as state party to ICC refers a case against a suspect to the court they will immediately take action and try them.

Mabinty added that the trial of Thomas Kwoyelo before the ICD is an indicator that the amnesty certificate does not protect offenders from facing justice.

Kwoyelo is a former commander of LRA; he is facing up to 93 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity before the Ugandan national court mandated to try international crimes.

His crimes relates to murder, robbery, attempted murder, sexual violence, pillaging and taking hostage and kidnap committed against civilians of Pabbo Internally Displaced persons` camp in Amuru in between 1995 and 2005.

Justice Onega the Chairperson of Amnesty Commission says the commission has granted certificates to 27,300 LRA former combatants since enactment of the Amnesty Act in 2000.

Among them is senior LRA officer Caesar Acellam.