A Ugandan court on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, found Thomas Kwoyelo, a commander in the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), guilty of dozens of war crimes. This marks the first time a senior member of the LRA has been tried and convicted by Uganda’s judiciary.
The LRA, founded in the late 1980s under the leadership of Joseph Kony, terrorized Ugandans for nearly 20 years in its attempt to overthrow the government. The group was known for its brutal tactics, including rapes, abductions, and mutilations.
Kwoyelo, who denied more than 70 charges against him including murder, rape, enslavement, torture, and kidnap, was found guilty on 44 counts. The court, presided over by Justice Michael Elubu and three other high court judges, dismissed 31 charges as duplications and acquitted Kwoyelo on three.
The Ugandan military captured Kwoyelo in 2009 in northeastern Congo. He has been in pre-trial detention since then, with his case slowly progressing through the Ugandan court system.
The court will begin pre-sentencing hearings next week before setting a date for Kwoyelo’s sentencing.
LRA leader Joseph Kony remains at large, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). In 2021, the ICC convicted another senior LRA commander, Dominic Ongwen, of war crimes and sentenced him to 25 years in jail.
This conviction represents a significant step in Uganda’s efforts to bring LRA leaders to justice for crimes committed during the group’s long-running insurgency.
