The attack came at first light. The village of Bogoro was turned into a slaughterhouse where "some were shot dead in their sleep, some cut up by machetes to save bullets", the International Criminal Court (ICC) was told yesterday. "Others were burned alive after their houses were set on fire by the attackers," the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, recounted. Scores of women were raped, children were killed and young girls marched away to become sex slaves. When it was all over, one of the two suspects, Germain Katanga, was allegedly heard to boast: "Nothing was spared. Absolutely nothing. Chickens, goats, everything... was wiped out." Mr Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui were in the dock yesterday in The Hague – in only the second trial to get under way at the permanent ICC (as distinct from the temporary courts judging war crimes in the Balkans and Liberia) – as prosecutors described the horrors of civil war in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo... click here for the rest of this article from, The Independent.
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GRN UPDATE: A member of the team investigating war crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today told judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that it was extremely difficult working in areas where militia groups continue to operate.
The prosecution’s first witness, whose identity is being withheld for her own safety, said many witnesses were afraid to come forward for fear of “reprisals by the perpetrators or groups supporting them”.
“There has been clear intimidation of our witnesses and a real risk of physical harm,” she said, adding that those who had decided to testify against Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui should be commended for their courage to do so.
The two former rebel leaders face ten counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the brutal attack on villagers in Bogoro in the troubled eastern region of the DRC in February 2003. Hundreds of residents were murdered and raped, while many children were allegedly press-ganged into service as child soldiers in the militias of the accused. Ten of these child soldiers have been granted witness status by the ICC and are represented in the case.
The court also heard about the health risks investigators face in the DRC, including the possibility of contracting malaria, cholera and even the Ebola virus. Other obstacles include a lack of resources, failing or non-existent national infrastructure and a severe lack of interview facilities.
Only once potential witnesses were assessed by a psychologist – and subject to the individual’s security profile allowing further participation – did investigators begin interviewing them, the court heard. – Deon de Lange
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