Statement by the Office of the Prosecutor following the transfer to The Hague of Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui
Situation: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Case: The Prosecutor v. Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui
Today, the Office of the Prosecutor welcomes the surrender of Mathieu Ngudjolo, a former senior commander of the Front des Nationalistes et Intégrationistes (FNI) and the Force de Résistance Patriotique en Ituri (“FRPI”) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to the International Criminal Court’s detention centre in The Hague.
“We have strong evidence. He committed crimes of shocking violence against men, women and children. On the morning of 24 February 2003, together with other suspect Germain Katanga, he ordered his fighters to attack and 'wipe out' the village of Bogoro. Approximately 200 civilians were murdered, and countless others were attacked. The village was pillaged by the FNI-FRPI forces” said the Prosecutor.
‘With this arrest again, we are showing that there can be no impunity for massive crimes. This is a promise to the victims. This is a message to the criminals, including those involved in atrocities in the Kivus. This is a commitment of my Office and the Court. This must be the shared commitment of all States parties to the Rome Statute, especially those involved in economic, political or conflict management initiatives. There shall be no impunity” he added.
Mathieu Ngudjolo is the third person surrendered by DRC authorities to the ICC, after Thomas Lubanga and Germain Katanga. He is the second militia leader to be charged in relation to the Prosecutor’s second case in the DRC, which covers crimes allegedly committed by leaders of the FNI-FRPI allied forces in the Ituri district.
The Office of the Prosecutor presented evidence against Mathieu Ngudjolo in sealed documents submitted to the judges in June 2007. He too is charged with three counts of Crimes against Humanity and six counts of War Crimes.
“The order to attack was carried out by the allied forces under their command, with devastating effect. As such Mr Ngudjolo is also responsible for the horrific crimes suffered by the people of Bogoro on that day” said Fatou Bensouda, Deputy Prosecutor in charge of the prosecution of the case.
“Hundreds were killed, maimed or terrorised. Women were forced to become sexual slaves. The village was pillaged by the FNI forces and razed to the ground. The civilian population of Bogoro had no choice but to get out” said Mrs Bensouda.
Civilians were allegedly the target of massive crimes in the course of the conflict in the Ituri district of the DRC between the allied FNI-FRPI forces of Mathieu Ngudjolo and Germain Katanga and other armed militia groups. Between 2002 and 2003 more than 8,000 civilians died and over half a million people were reportedly displaced from their homes in Ituri as a result of the conflict going on at that time.
The OTP alleges that Mathieu Ngudjolo, is responsible for Murders, Inhumane acts and Sexual Enslavement at Bogoro village, constituting Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes, and for Cruel Treatment at Bogoro Village, constituting a War Crime. The Prosecution’s evidence will also show that Mr Ngudjolo committed the War Crime of using Children to Participate Actively in Hostilities, the War Crime of launching an Attack against the Civilian Population of Bogoro Village and the War Crime of Pillaging the village of Bogoro.
In early 2003, Mr Ngudjolo emerged as one of the top commander of a group which began calling itself the FNI and was later named one of three top leaders of the allied FNI-FRPI forces. In December 2006 he was appointed to the rank of Colonel in the DRC Army. He was arrested by the DRC authorities on 6 Febuary 2008 and presented before a DRC Prosecutor before his transfer to the ICC Detention Centre in The Hague.
The Office of the Prosecutor began investigating crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in June 2004. The Prosecution’s first case in the DRC is against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for the war crimes of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15 and using them to participate actively in hostilities in Ituri. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was commander-in-chief of the Forces Patriotique pour la Libération du Congo (“FPLC”). The Court’s Pre-trial Chamber I has confirmed the charges against him. His trial is anticipated to begin on March 31 2008; he will be the first person to stand trial at the ICC.
The Prosecution’s second case in the DRC is against Germain Katanga, former senior commander of the FRPI, who was surrendered to the ICC’s Detention Centre in The Hague on 17 October 2007. the confirmation of charges hearing, initially scheduled to start on 28 February 2008, was postponed by Pre-Trial Chamber I on 30 January to a yet undetermined new date.
With the arrest and transfer of Mathieu Ngudjolo to the Court, the Prosecution has completed a first phase of its DRC investigation, focusing on the horrific crimes committed by leaders of armed groups active in Ituri since July 2002. The office of the Prosecutor is now moving on to a third investigation in the DRC, with other applications for arrest warrants to follow in the coming months and years.
The actions of armed groups still operating and reportedly still committing crimes in the East of the DRC, and in particular in the Kivu provinces, and the situation of those individuals who may have played a role in supporting and backing DRC armed groups, are among the principal options upon which the OTP is focusing for this third investigation.
Combined OTP Fact sheet: Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui - English | French
For more information, please contact:
OTP Media Liaison Nicola Fletcher (French)
[email protected]
+31 (0) 70 515 8071 (office)
+31 (0) 650 890 473 (mobile)
OTP Public Information Coordinator Florence Olara
[email protected]
+31 (0) 70 515 8723 (office)
+31 (0) 6 5029 4476 (mobile)