The former head of the Central African Republic Football Federation, Patrice-Eduar Ngaisa, was found guilty of committing 28 crimes of war and crimes against humanity by judges of the International Criminal Court.
It is accused of joining the MP Alfred Gekom, co-ordinated attacks on the country’s Muslim population in 2013-14.
Gekom was found guilty of 20 categories. The judges issued their verdict after a trial lasted for almost four years and involving more than 170 witnesses and nearly 20,000 evidence was presented.
Ngaisa was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Gekom in 15 years.
Violence dominates the Central African Republic for almost a decade, but a recent peace agreement has led to this month to dismantle the two rebel groups that cause turmoil.
The crisis in the country broke out in 2013, when the Muslim guerrilla alliance seized power by throwing then President Francois Bozise.
In response, the Christian militias anti-Balaka were created, which were committed to bloody counterattacks.
On the sidelines of the events, the two main figures of this period, Patrice-Eduar Ngaisona and Alfred Gekom, were found guilty by the International Criminal Court for a series of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The crimes attributed to them include murders, torture and persecution based on religious identity.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Nagaisona played a leading role in coordinating the attacks, offering funding and orders to the anti-Balaka teams in 2013 and 2014.
Gekom, known for the nickname “Rambo”, allegedly led armed attacks in the capital Bangi on December 5, 2013, where civilians were slaughtered.
The strategy of the two, according to the indictment, was to target the Muslim population as a whole, describing them as “enemies of the nation”.
Gekom is accused of encouraging heinous acts by his fighters, such as beheading, amputation and burial of people in life.
At the beginning of the trial, both men said innocent.
Who is Patrice-Eduar Ngaisona
Ngaisa was a leading figure of the anti-Balaka and self-proclaimed political coordinator. It was forbidden to be a candidate in the 2015 presidential election because of the role he played in the wild episodes of the period.
Despite his past, he took up high offices in the field of sports: he served as chairman of the country’s football federation and was appointed Minister of Sport, and in 2018 he was elected to the Executive Committee of the African Football Confederation, which caused strong reactions.
“If the accusations were true, I wouldn’t be here today,” he had told the French News Agency.
“I do not mix politics with sport. Whatever I have done, I did it for the good of my homeland, “he added.
Ngaisona was arrested by the French authorities in December 2018 and handed over to the International Criminal Court in January 2019.
Source: Sport Fm
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