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(Bangui) – Special Criminal Court (SCC) Central African Republic Human Rights Watch said today it has announced the arrest of former anti-Balaka leader Edmond Beïna on June 16, 2024, for crimes committed in 2014. The arrest is a step toward ensuring justice for victims of serious crimes in the country.
Courts comfirmed On June 21, Bena was arrested. The court charged Bena with Crimes against humanity and War crimes The attacks allegedly took place in February and March 2014 in the cities of Goun, Ghazi and Jomo in the Mambére-Kadé province in the southwest of the country. On February 1 and 5, 2014, the anti-Balaka group, under the command of Beyna and another armed group leader, Matrouin Kombo, attacked civilians, killing at least 72 Muslim men and boys, some as young as 9 years old. The court arrested Kombo in November 2022. In addition to Kombo and Beyna, the court also detained three other co-accused. charged Crimes arising from the same facts.
“To date, there has been no accountability for the horrific crimes committed in Gun, and impunity persists in the Central African Republic,” he said. Lewis MarchCentral Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The Special Criminal Court can change that narrative and finally bring justice to the victims and their families who have waited so long.”
this Squamous cell carcinoma The purpose of the tribunal is to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes committed in the Central African Republic since 2003. The tribunal is located in the capital Bangui and is composed of national and international judges and personnel. The tribunal began operations in 2018.
Anti-Balaka militias rise up across the country SelekaOn March 24, 2013, the mostly Muslim coalition took control of Bangui. The anti-Balaka group soon began Targeting Muslim civiliansespecially in the West, equate them with Seleka or Coalition sympathizers.
A Human Rights Watch researcher spent several days in the country in March 2014, speaking with survivors of the Guen and Djomo attacks. The victims were all Muslims, mostly elderly women and children, who had sought refuge in a Catholic parish where they were attacked.
The father of 10-year-old boy Omaru Buba said:
“I was with my son when the anti-Balaka attacked. He was shot by the anti-Balaka as we were running away. He was shot in the right leg and fell to the ground, but they killed him with a machete. I had no choice but to keep running. I was shot too. Later I went to see his body and saw that he had been shot in the head and neck.”
On February 5, after ransacking the Muslim neighborhood of Guen, the Anti-Balaka attacked a property where hundreds of Muslims had sought refuge. During the attack, the Anti-Balaka divided approximately 45 men into two groups, led them out of the compound, forced them to lie on the ground, and then executed them.
According to eyewitnesses, on March 6, anti-balaka groups under the command of Beïna and Kombo went to the parish in search of Abdoulaye Liman, the local imam of Jomo, who had taken refuge in the parish, and killed him.
Human Rights Watch said the Ghen massacre demonstrated the complete lawlessness of the anti-balaka group, that peacekeepers had urgently needed to act quickly to protect civilians, and that now – a decade later – it was vital to enforce the rule of law and uphold justice.
Beyna’s arrest comes as the Supreme Court makes progress on some important cases. is convicted Three members of the 3R rebel group War crimes and crimes against humanity committed in May 2019 in the northwest of the country. Appeal Confirmation July 2023.
court Second trial The trial began in December 2023 and is still ongoing. The case concerns crimes committed by factions of the armed group Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC) in the town of Ndélé in 2020. Another trial against the same group for crimes committed in Ndélé in 2020 start June 2024. In September 2023, the SCC also announced Abdoulaye HusseinLeader of the Front Popular pour la Renaissance de la Centrafrique, detained on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in 2017; he remains in pretrial detention.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court continues to face challenges, including the arrest of some suspects. In May, the court issued arrest warrant Former President François Bozizé is accused of having committed crimes in the presidential guard and other security services between February 2009 and 23 March 2013. Military Training Center North of Bangui. Bozizé Back In 2019, he travelled to the country as it was then wracked by conflict, and later became a key leader of the rebel alliance, currently in hiding in Guinea-Bissau.
Hassan Bouba, the current Minister of Livestock and Animal Health Arrested On November 19, 2022, he was indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Being escorted out of the detention center On November 26, 2022, he was shot dead by the National Gendarmerie in defiance of a court order and did not appear in court.
While the security situation in the country has improved over the past decade, impunity for those responsible for serious crimes continues to fuel recurring violence, and armed groups continue to Committing atrocitiesleaving a trail of death, displacement and poverty.
The Supreme Court has played an important role in ensuring fair trials for attacks against civilians over the past decade, such as the one in Guen, and attacks on refugee camps. Internally displaced personsThe government and the court’s international partners should step up support for the court to ensure it can effectively carry out its important duties, including by providing adequate resources and promptly executing outstanding arrest warrants, Human Rights Watch said.
“If fully supported, the Special Criminal Court has the potential to deliver justice to victims of the most serious crimes,” March said. “Beina’s arrest and charges show that justice will be served, no matter how long it takes, and serves as a clear warning to others who continue to commit atrocities in the Central African Republic.”
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