Rebecca Hauser/ February 7, 2008/ 11:45 pm/Human Rights
Mathieu Ngudjolo, a former Congo warlord, was finally captured and taken into custody. He was the head of the Front of Nationalists and Integrationists (FPI) militia. He has been charged with murder, rape, sexual slavery, and using child soldiers, which all occurred during the war in Congo from 1998-2003. He was transferred and is being detained by the International Criminal Court at The Hague. The Congo police have stated that this shows that they will not tolerate any impunity for massive crimes.
Though I know very little about the war and ongoing conflicts in the Congo, this news is very pleasing to hear. Despite what country this occurred in, what a person’s power may be, the crimes that this man committed are beyond despicable. This man forced children under the age of 15 to become his soldiers. He ordered them to kill hundreds of Hema, an ethnic group of people within the Congo. He systematically oppressed women and young girls into sexual slavery. He is responsible for thousands of murders. A man like this deserves whatever is coming to him. Everything that he has done and contributed to his country sounds like nothing more than a direct violation on human rights. Besides the crimes that he is charged with, he forced thousands of people to live in fear and go without. During this war, 5.4 million people died, and this man is responsible for a large portion of them.
I am completely appalled at the audacity and nerve of this man. The things that he has done are unspeakable. The fact that things of this nature are still going on in this world everyday truly scares me. It also makes me feel guilty. While people are starving to death and being forced into slavery, I am sitting across the world at my nice computer with a soda.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/WireStory?id=4257153&page=1
2 comments:
Oh my gosh I totally agree with you. This is completely appalling. It is so hard to believe that while I am worrying about the silly things such as making things better with a person I had a fight with these people across the world are being slaughtered for no reason at all.
I did a report on this a few years ago for a freshmen seminar on war. It's good to know they finally caught him and are planning to prosecute to the fullest extent.
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