This past week the International Criminal Court found Dominic Owagen guilty of 61 crimes ranging from murder, rape, sexual enslavement, abducting children, torture, and pillaging. Ongwen was abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) when he was a child and was convicted of a forced pregnancy for atrocities against seven women. Ongwen is facing life in prison for his actions and will find out his sentence on a later date. His lawyers claimed that Ongwen suffered psychological damage as a result of being abducted as a child. The main question being asked is if a former child soldier can be held accountable for the crime he has committed. The ICC stated that they have not seen such a list of war crimes before. The LRA terrorised Ugandans for nearly two decades. The United Nations says the LRA killed more than 100,000 people and abducted 60,000 children during its campaign of violence. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday’s verdict against Ongwen was a landmark moment in achieving justice for victims of the LRA. This victory for the Ugandan people will be the start of many new allegations against the LRA.
This victory for the Ugandan people was necessary, they suffered far too long and deserve justice for the crime the LRA did against them. I feel like Ongwen is responsible for all his wrong doings and being kidnapped by the LRA is not an acceptable excuse for doing all these horrific things to people. This court case is important because it shows the horrificness the LRA brought against the Ugandan people for two decades. It will have a long lasting impact with the hope of bringing many more people to trial for their wrongdoings. For the region, after suffering for two decades it’s time for them to get what they deserve and obtain equality for all.
From a realist perspective we can see the attacks the LRA took against the Ugandan people as selfish because they took 60,000 kids and killed over a hundred thousand. Ongwens crimes against the Ugandan people were also selfish he is not owning up to his wrongdoings and instead he is placing an emphasis on that his allegations were because of him being abducted by the LRA when he was a child. From a hegemonic stability theory, the United States stepped in and helped the Ugandan people take back their land and put an end to the LRA. With the upcoming weeks, Ongwen will be facing a harsh punishment of life imprisonment and his life is in fate of his lawyers.