CAR Special Court Delivers First Verdict In 2019 War Crimes Case

On October 31, 2022 the Bangui-based Special Criminal Court issued its first verdict, when it found three former members of a CAR armed group, guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in 2019. One of the convicts received a life sentence, while the other two received 20 years each in prison.
 
During hearings that lasted nearly seven months, defendants Adoum Issa Sallet, Ousmane Yahouba and Tahir Mahamat blamed each other for crimes committed in the villages of Koundjili and Lemouna in the northwest of the country on May 21, 2019.

The three men were members of the armed group 3R (Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation) and were arrested three days after the attacks. Their trial began in April, 2022.

The men have three days in which to appeal the judgment. A hearing is scheduled for November 4, 2022 to address compensation and reparations. "We are very happy today with the SCC verdict. The court made a fairly firm decision," said Joseph Bindoumi, president of the CAR Human Rights League, who is now looking forward to the reparations hearing. "It is this part that interests us a lot, because for there to be true justice in a country the crimes that were committed must be repaired. he said