Ugandan army confirms top LRA rebel in US custody
Jan 07, 2015
Uganda''s army UPDF confirmed Wednesday that top Lord''s Resistance Army rebel Dominic Ongwen was in the custody of US special forces in Central African Republic.
KAMPALA, Wednesday- Uganda's army confirmed Wednesday that top Lord's Resistance Army rebel Dominic Ongwen was in the custody of US special forces in Central African Republic.
"His surrender puts the LRA in the most vulnerable position," army spokesman Paddy Ankunda told AFP, adding he had first surrendered to CAR's Seleka rebels, before being handed over to American forces.
But it remains unclear if US forces will now hand Ongwen over to Uganda, with the LRA commander facing crimes against humanity and war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court.
When asked if US troops would send Ongwen to Uganda, Ankunda said: "We are working out procedures."
While Uganda is a signatory to the ICC and legally bound to hand Ongwen over for trial at The Hague-based court, President Yoweri Museveni last month called for African nations to quit the ICC accusing it of being used as a "tool to target" the continent.
Earlier, the State Department in the US had broken the news.