In a significant moment of justice for many in Uganda who endured years of violence from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group, a former commander, Thomas Kwoyelo, has been found guilty of numerous crimes against humanity by a panel of the High Court in Gulu, northern Uganda. This landmark verdict marks the first atrocity case to be tried under a special division of the High Court focusing on international crimes.

Kwoyelo was convicted on 44 out of 78 counts he faced, which included charges such as murder, pillaging, enslavement, rape, and cruelty committed between 1992 and 2005. He has been in detention since 2009 as authorities worked toward ensuring fair and credible justice for the victims of the LRA’s brutal insurgency.

Prosecutors revealed that Kwoyelo, a former LRA colonel, had ordered violent attacks on civilians who were often displaced by the rebel group’s activities. Despite thousands of rebel combatants receiving amnesty over the years, Kwoyelo, who was captured in Congo, was not granted such reprieve, sparking concerns from rights activists regarding the delay in bringing him to trial.

Kwoyelo’s trial shed light on the challenges of delivering justice in a post-war society. Similar to other trials involving former LRA members, Kwoyelo argued that he was abducted as a child to join the LRA and therefore should not be held accountable for the group’s actions. He claimed that only LRA leader Joseph Kony should be held responsible for the atrocities perpetrated by the rebel group.

The LRA, initially an anti-government rebellion in Uganda, recruited child soldiers and kept girls as sex slaves, committing numerous massacres primarily targeting the Acholi ethnic group. Kony, the self-proclaimed messiah of the group, aimed to rule Uganda based on the biblical Ten Commandments.

Although Kony remains at large, believed to be hiding in central Africa, the LRA’s influence has significantly waned over the years, with reports of their attacks becoming rare. Despite this verdict against Kwoyelo, some observers highlight that Ugandan military leaders allegedly involved in civilian abuses during the conflict have not faced accountability.