The warrant, which had been kept confidential since its issuance in 2018, identifies the suspect as Edmond Beina, who is believed to have led a group of between 100 to 400 fighters responsible for killing Muslims in a village in the western part of the nation during early 2014.
Prosecutors established that Beina’s group was linked to the anti-Balaka, a primarily Christian militia that rose in opposition to the Muslim Seleka rebel forces during the conflict in 2013-2014. This period of violence resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands of individuals.
The atmosphere of conflict in the Central African Republic has persisted since 2013, when Seleka rebels ousted then-President Francois Bozize from power. In retaliation, anti-Balaka militias emerged, conducting attacks against civilians and forcing the majority of the Muslim population in the capital, Bangui, to flee for their safety.
Judges at the ICC indicated in a written statement that the warrant for Beina’s arrest was made public following a challenge from authorities in the Central African Republic regarding the case’s admissibility. However, the court did not divulge specifics regarding this challenge.
Prosecutors further claim that Beina was involved in violent acts in the village of Guen from February to April 2014, which included the murder of Muslim civilians. His warrant noted that he commanded groups that perpetrated multiple atrocities.
One particular event described by prosecutors claimed that Beina and his fighters raided the compound of a Muslim community leader in Guen that was sheltering approximately 300 displaced individuals, including women and children. It is alleged that Beina divided the civilians into categories and, under threat of violence, ordered the men and boys to lie flat on the ground. Following this, he reportedly executed several Muslim men and boys using his Kalashnikov rifle, depleting two magazines in the process.
Moreover, it is alleged that Beina instructed his men to eliminate all surviving victims, leading to the deaths of at least 42 Muslim men and boys during this attack.
Currently, three other alleged rebels from the Central African Republic are undergoing trial at the ICC for their purported involvement in the ongoing sectarian violence that has plagued the nation.