The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ruled that nearly 50,000 victims of Ugandan militia leader Dominic Ongwen are entitled to a total compensation exceeding 52 million euros (Sh.8.2 billion).
This marks the largest reparations order issued by the court to date.
Ongwen, once a child soldier who ascended to a prominent position within the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has been deemed incapable of covering the compensation himself by the judges.
Consequently, the ICC has turned to its Trust Fund for Victims to assist in fulfilling this obligation.
The compensation package includes symbolic individual payments of 750 euros (Sh.119,000) per victim, alongside collective reparations such as rehabilitation initiatives and memorial constructions.
Convicted in 2021 on 60 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including acts of rape, murder, and child abduction, Ongwen is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in Norway.
The LRA, under the leadership of fugitive warlord Joseph Kony, wreaked havoc on Uganda for nearly two decades, operating from bases in the country’s north and neighboring regions.
Though the militia has largely been dismantled, Kony remains a prominent fugitive on the ICC’s wanted list.
Louis Lakor, a 29-year-old survivor of LRA abduction, emphasized the symbolic nature of reparations, stating, “There’s no amount of money that can compensate for the crimes the LRA committed.”
Lakor, whose parents were murdered by the rebels and who was coerced into killing his sister, highlighted the profound and enduring trauma experienced by victims, including those born in captivity or subjected to unspeakable atrocities.
The total victim count approaches 50,000, encompassing individuals targeted in attacks on refugee camps and those subjected to forced recruitment into the ranks of child soldiers or sex slaves.
The ICC judges arrived at the total compensation figure of 52.4 million euros after careful deliberation, acknowledging the unprecedented scale of the reparations order.
However, the judges cautioned that the execution of payments may not occur swiftly following the issuance of the order.
Moreover, they acknowledged the financial constraints faced by the Trust Fund for Victims, which relies on voluntary contributions, in meeting the mandated sum.