Reaction mixed as Ugandan court sentences former LRA commander to 40 years

 

Thomas Kwoyelo, a commander in the Lord's Resistance Army, sits in the dock at the International Crimes Division court in Gulu, Uganda, on Oct. 25, 2024, where he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

KAMPALA, UGANDA —

A Ugandan court sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison on Friday.

In August, the Ugandan International Crimes Division found Kwoyelo guilty on 44 charges, including murder, pillaging, inhumane acts and gender-based violence such as rape. Lawyers for Kwoyelo, 50, said he is going to appeal the sentence.

Francis Okello Oloya, a psychologist and head of a comfort dog project in Gulu for LRA war survivors, was blinded by a bomb blast at the age of 12 during Uganda’s war against the rebels. He told VOA that he welcomes the court process but that the sentence doesn’t satisfy him or other survivors.

“The perpetrator needed to ask for forgiveness and reconciliation with his heart,” Oloya said, adding, “He will be serving his jail terms, but what benefits will the victims get?”

In reading out the sentence, Justice Duncan Gaswaga emphasized that there is no chance Kwoyelo will be released early on parole. “This sentence also excludes a possibility of rehabilitation, reconciliation and reform of the convict, and concentrates on punishment, retribution and deterrence,” he said.

The judges also highlighted Kwoyelo’s guilt on the rape charges.

Susan Aceng Oroma, the project officer for the Foundation for Justice and Development Initiative, a nongovernmental organization that works to promote justice and economic recovery in northern Uganda, said she was happy to hear the judges focus on gender-based violence.

“Looking at the magnitude of the offenses he committed, he deserved the sentencing,” she said.

However, Angelo Izama, a Ugandan international crimes analyst, argued that Kwoyelo should not have been put on trial.

He said that the best method to resolve Kwoyelo’s case would have been to put him under the local Matoput process. That would have led to reconciliation and forgiveness, which he said cannot be achieved by law or force of arms.

“Kwoyelo has been sort of a stand-in character for the northern Uganda conflict,” Izama said. “He is the most visible remaining member of the LRA to be put forward to answer for the crimes of that organization. But you have to recall that the conflict in the north took place over 20 years. And the atrocities were on all sides of that conflict.”

Meanwhile, LRA leader Joseph Kony remains wanted by the International Criminal Court on dozens of war crimes charges but has not been confirmed alive for years.

 

By：VOA