Kampala — The former Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) commander, Thomas Kwoyelo, is to be tried by the War Crimes Court on charges of kidnap with intent to murder.

This was revealed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Richard Butera, in a phone interview on Thursday.

A special division of the High Court, was set up in 2008 to try individuals accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 20-year insurgency in the north.

'Colonel' Kwoyelo, the former commander of the LRA's senior Brigade, was captured on February 3, 2009 by the joint forces of Uganda, the DR Congo and Southern Sudan.

He was remanded to Gulu Central Prison last year after villagers accused him and other rebels of kidnapping their relatives. Kwoyelo faces 12 counts of charges with intent to murder at Gulu Magistrate Court, according to the chief magistrate, Joseph Onyango.

Onyango said currently Kwoyelo appears before court for mention because the court does not have jurisdiction over war crimes.

Kwoyelo is the first LRA commander to be charged before a Ugandan court.

Other commanders who came out of the bush earlier were given amnesty under the 1999 Amnesty Act.