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ICC Sentences Anti-Balaka Commanders for Atrocities Against Muslims in CAR

The convictions cap a decade-long probe into anti-Balaka atrocities, signaling sustained ICC engagement in Central African Republic unrest

FILE - A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana, File)
Central African Republic's soccer executive and alleged militia leader, Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona appears before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, January 25, 2019. Koen Van Weel/Pool via Reuters/File Photo
One of the alleged leaders of Central African Republic militias, Alfred Yekatom appears before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, February 16, 2021. ICC-CPI/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
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Overview

  • The ICC convicted Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona of leading the anti-Balaka in targeted violence against Muslim civilians and sentenced him to 12 years.
  • Alfred Yekatom, known as “Rambo,” received a 15-year sentence after judges found he commanded militia forces that committed murder, torture and persecution.
  • Judges detailed atrocities including the forcible transfer of Muslim populations and the mutilation of detainees by Yekatom’s fighters.
  • Both men had pleaded not guilty at the start of their 2021 trial following their extradition to The Hague in 2018.
  • A separate ICC prosecution of a Seleka rebel leader is under way as investigations into 2013-14 sectarian violence continue.