ICC Convicts Former Child Soldier turned Rebel Commander of War Crimes

Ugandan former rebel commander Dominic Ongwen has been found guilty of war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

Africa News reports that Ongwen was a former child soldier turned rebel commander. He had been accused of 70 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Amongst the charges Ongwen faced were murder, rape, torture, sexual slavery and use of child soldiers between 2002 and 2004, while he was a commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda. According to rights groups the LRA had abducted tens of thousands of children and had used them as fighters and sexual slaves. Further, thousands of civilians in Uganda, Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic had been killed and maimed during the LRA’s three-decade rebellion.

On trial in December 2016, Ongwen pleaded not guilty to the charges. Africa News reports that he continues to deny all accusations. However, presiding judge, Bertram Schmitt, said that Ongwen’s guilt had been established beyond any reasonable doubt.

Ongwen faces life in prison. His case had perplexed the ICC as Ongwen was both the victim, having been abducted by the LRA and forced to be a child soldier, as well as the alleged perpetrator.

Umm Muhammed Umar

Middle East Report

24 July 2026 | 12:10 CAT 2-minute read Saudi nuclear deal risks fuelling wider Middle East arms race A proposed civilian nuclear agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia could trigger a broader nuclear arms race in the Middle East, according to...

Algorithms of Violence: How TikTok is Fuelling Organised Crime

24 July 2026 | 12:06 CAT 2-minute read A new report released by the Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh) warns that TikTok has become a powerful tool for organised crime groups operating within Palestinian society in Israel, allowing them to...

Media Lens With Ebrahim Deen

Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za 23 July 2026 1-minute read This morning on Sabahul Muslim’s Media Lens with Ebrahim Deen, the lead story was the Saudi Arabia nuclear agreement, following confirmation that Trump had signed on to the deal. The agreement is...

DUT hosts Africa’s first global DataScientia AI symposium

23 July 2026 | 12:10 CAT 2-minute read The Durban University of Technology (DUT) has made history as the first institution on the African continent to host the DataScientia International Symposium, an international gathering of researchers, policymakers, industry...

OUTA seeks urgent court halt to AARTO Phase 2 rollout

23 July 2026 | 11:43 CAT 2-minute read The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has filed an urgent High Court application to suspend Phase 2 of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) system, warning that motorists could be unfairly...

De Beers’ Venetia mine suspension signals deeper challenges for South Africa’s diamond industry

Annisa Essack | kzn@radioislam.org.za 23 July 2026 | 10:00 CAT 2-minute read South Africa's diamond sector is facing renewed uncertainty after De Beers announced it will suspend production at its flagship Venetia diamond mine in Limpopo for two years, a move that...