By A Ugandan court has sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years imprisonment for war crimes, marking the first domestic conviction of a leader from the notorious rebel group that terrorized northern Uganda for decades.
The International Crimes Division of Uganda’s High Court found Kwoyelo guilty of 44 charges, including murder, rape, kidnapping, and pillaging. The sentence considers his 15 years already served in detention, effectively reducing his remaining prison time to 25 years.
In a nuanced ruling that wrestled with the complex dynamics of child soldiers turned perpetrators, the court declined to impose either the death penalty or life imprisonment, acknowledging that Kwoyelo himself was abducted by LRA fighters at age 12. The judgment noted his expressed remorse and assessment that he no longer poses a threat to society.
The trial, held in the northern city of Gulu, addressed atrocities including the 2004 Pagak displacement camp massacre, where dozens of women and children were beaten to death with wooden clubs. The LRA, formed by Joseph Kony in the late 1980s under the pretense of establishing a Biblical government, became notorious for mutilating victims and forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes.
“This case represents a milestone in Uganda’s pursuit of justice for war crimes committed on its soil,” said legal expert Martin Okwir in Kampala. “It demonstrates the judiciary’s ability to balance accountability with the tragic reality of child soldier recruitment.”
The ruling follows the International Criminal Court’s 2021 conviction of another LRA commander, Dominic Ongwen, who received 25 years in prison. Like Kwoyelo, Ongwen’s sentence was mitigated by his own history as a child abductee whose parents were killed by the rebels who recruited him.
Kwoyelo’s defense team announced plans to appeal all convictions within the court’s 14-day window, while a separate hearing will address reparations for victims. The LRA has largely disappeared as a fighting force, with international efforts to capture Kony suspended after authorities deemed him no longer a significant threat to Uganda.
