Former Football Official Sentenced for War Crimes in Central African Republic

In a landmark ruling, the International Criminal Court has convicted Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona of 28 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, highlighting a dark chapter in the Central African Republic's history.

The former president of the Central African Republic (CAR) football federation, Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, faced justice at the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he was found guilty of multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the violence that erupted in CAR between 2013 and 2014. Alongside co-defendant Alfred Yekatom, who was sentenced to 15 years, Ngaïssona received a 12-year prison term for orchestrating brutal attacks against the Muslim population during a period of extreme civil unrest.

The charges stemmed from the uprising of mainly Muslim rebels from the Séléka group, which sparked retaliatory violence from Christian militia known as anti-Balaka. The ICC trial encompassed nearly four years of proceedings, including testimony from over 170 witnesses and examination of extensive evidence. The court uncovered a systematic plan directed by Ngaïssona to target Muslims in the country, leading to murders, torture, and other atrocities.

Violence engulfed CAR following the Séléka coup, causing widespread chaos and the deaths of at least 1,000 individuals during escalating clashes in December 2013 alone. Meanwhile, both defendants rejected all allegations against them, with Ngaïssona having previously claimed to promote peace, contrasting his appointment to CAF’s executive committee in 2018 with calls for accountability from human rights groups.

The recent judgment marks a commitment to addressing historical impunity in CAR, as the international community watches closely for further developments in the pursuit of justice in one of Africa's most troubled nations.