A Ugandan court has sentenced Thomas Kwoyelo, a former commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), to 40 years in prison following a landmark trial for war crimes related to the group’s two-decade reign of terror.
This marks the first time a member of the notorious organization, which waged a rebellion against President Yoweri Museveni, has been tried for war crimes in a Ugandan court.
Kwoyelo was convicted in August on 44 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The sentence was delivered by Michael Elubu, the lead judge at the International Crimes Division (ICD) of the high court in Gulu, a city in northern Uganda.
Judge Elubu stated that Kwoyelo has the right to appeal the sentence and/or conviction within 14 days.
The charges against Kwoyelo included murder, rape, torture, pillaging, abduction, and the destruction of settlements for internally displaced people.
Kwoyelo, who was abducted by the LRA at the age of 12 and later became a low-level commander, has consistently denied all the charges against him.
Source: News Agency
