'Terminator' warlord jailed for 30 years over DR Congo crimes

Thursday, 7 November 2019 15:50

Former Congolese military leader Bosco Ntaganda has been handed a 30-year jail sentence for a series of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The International Criminal Court on Thursday convicted Ntaganda, nicknamed "Terminator", on 18 counts including murder, rape, sexual slavery and using child soldiers.

Presiding Judge Robert Fremr said that despite the gravity of the crimes and his culpability, his convictions "do not warrant a sentence of life imprisonment".

Rwandan-born Ntaganda showed no emotion as he was handed his sentence for the acts committed when he was military operations chief at the Union of Congolese Patriots(UPC) militia in east Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002-2003.

More from International News

Blast at Rotterdam port energy facility kills one person

A blast at a storage facility for petroleum products at the Netherlands' Rotterdam port killed one person and wounded six others on Thursday.
US can keep blockade on Iranian ports 'indefinitely', Pentagon chief says

The US military has enough assets to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, adding ships could be rotated in and out of the region as needed.
Large explosion rips through Italian munitions factory

A powerful explosion ripped through a munitions factory near the town of Colleferro, southeast of Rome, on Thursday, with the blast heard for kilometres around.
Colombian President vows reconstruction fund as quake death toll hits 265

Colombia's President Abelardo De La Espriella has vowed on Wednesday to set up an emergency fund to help rebuild hospitals, schools, homes, and infrastructure destroyed by Monday's earthquake, which killed 265 and left nearly 500 people unaccounted for.