DRC Warlord First to Face ICC

Located in The Hague, Netherlands, the International Criminal Court was instituted in 2002 for the purpose of prosecuting those suspected of being responsible for atrocities around the world. Thomas Lubanga, a Congolese warlord, is the first to stand trial in front of the ICC. Lubanga is accused of kidnapping and forcing children under the age of fifteen to fight as child soldiers from 2002-2003 during the DRC's brutal civil war (beginning in 1998). The prosecution claims that the children were kidnapped as they walked to school and forced to fight for Lubanga's ethnic Hema militia, the Union of Congolese Patriots. Instructed to kill all Lendu, child soldiers were forced to kill men, women, and children. Lubanga adamantly denies these claims and maintains that he is "an innocent patriot who sought to prevent the use of child soldiers and to end plundering of resources and bring peace to his mineral rich region." He has also argued that the international community wants to punish him not for war crimes but for his refusal to give mining concessions in areas he controlled to foreign firms.
Human rights groups in DRC are very pleased with the decision to charge Lubanga with war crimes. They believe this is a major step for the victims of the war as this represents their first chance for justice. While Lubanga is only one of many warlords, most have escaped being charged, he represents the beginning of what will hopefully be a effective and successful International Criminal Court, and a new start for many Congolese.