The International Criminal Court (ICC) this morning opened the second trial for atrocities committed in the Ituri district, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In opening statements, the ICC accused the two former rebel leaders active in Ituri, Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The two warlords are charged with a massacre carried out in the Bogoro village – at the time controlled by a rival faction, the UPC of Thomas Lubanga, already on trial before the ICC – in 2003, in which at least 200 people were killed, mainly elderly, women and children. They face a total of 10 counts, including 7 for war crimes and three for crimes against humanity: ranging from the wilful killing of civilians to sexual violence and recruiting of minors. The Defence lawyers confirmed that the accused intend to plead not guilty and hope that the trial will shed light on the circumstances behind the Ituri violence. Katanga was the former leader of the Patriotic Force of Resistance in Ituri (FPRI), an ethnic Ngiti-based militia group, while Ngudjolo headed the Front for National Integration (FNI), an ethnic Lendu-based militia allied to Katanga's group. The investigation into the Ituri violence – that between 1999 and 2005 left at least 50,000 dead and displaced over half a million – was opened by the ICC on explicit request of the government of Kinshasa in 2004. [BO]
