On Tuesday, 29 April 2008, the International Criminal Court (ICC) made public its case against Bosco Ntaganda for alleged crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This is the fourth arrest warrant unsealed within the context of the DRC situation and the eleventh arrest warrant issued by the Court.

On 29 April 2008, ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I unsealed a warrant of arrest which had been originally issued on 22 August 2006, upon request of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor. The warrant of arrest focuses on the period from July 2002 until the end of 2003 in Ituri and lists three war crimes: 1) the enlistment of children under the age of fifteen; 2) the conscription of children under the age of fifteen; and 3) using children under the age of fifteen to participate actively in hostilities.

Bosco Ntaganda, also known as Bosco Tanganda, Bosco Ntanganda, Bosco Ntangana, Bosco Ntagenda, Bosco Baganda, Bosco Taganda or “the Terminator,”is believed to be a national of Rwanda and is around thirty five years old. He is alleged to have been the former Chief of Staff of the Forces Patriotiques pour la Libération du Congo (FPLC) and is allegedly one of the current commanders of the Mouvement Révolutionnaire du Congo (MRC).

“We call on the Congolese government to cooperate immediately with the Court to ensure the execution of this fourth arrest warrant,” said CICC Director of Regional Programs Brigitte Suhr. “This Court is doing much to address one of the most brutal conflicts of our time, but without its own police force, it cannot effectively operate in isolation.”

Reacting to the decision, Bukeni W. Beck, currently of WITNESS and instrumental in pushing the Court to investigate Thomas Lubanga—a case that will result in the Court’s first trial this June—said “This is a very, very hopeful development. By fingering an active rebel, the ICC is now poised to be a true catalyst for justice in the country.”