The Congolese government has arrested and handed over Mathieu Ngudjolo to ICC officials in Kinshasa before being transferred to The Hague.
According to the court, Ngudjolo led rebel forces of the National Integrationist Front in an attack against the village of Bogoro in the eastern Ituri region in 2003. The rebels, including child soldiers, slaughtered around 200 civilians, mutilated many more and coerced the surviving women and girls into sexual servitude.
The capture of Ngudjolo – thanks to the cooperation of the government of the DRC – is another significant step forward which emphasizes the ICC’s role as a permanent court that is here to stay. It also demonstrates that the perpetrators of mass atrocities are not free to act with impunity and will be brought to justice.
