Uganda’s court has sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years’ imprisonment for war crimes in a landmark case.
The trial marked Uganda’s first domestic prosecution of an LRA member under a special high court division for international crimes.
Kwoyelo was found guilty of 44 offences, including murder and rape. Justice Duncan Gasagwa emphasized Kwoyelo’s role in planning and executing grave offences, noting victims’ lasting physical and mental trauma. Captured in 2009 in Democratic Republic of Congo, Kwoyelo spent 14 years in pre-trial detention.
Believed to be in his fifties, he claims forced recruitment at age 12 in 1987 and rose to become a senior commander overseeing wounded fighters. The LRA, under Joseph Kony’s leadership, terrorized Uganda for nearly two decades with brutal acts including mutilation and killings.
While some pleaded for Kwoyelo’s release due to his childhood conscription, victims testified to his direct involvement in atrocities. Defense lawyers argued his status as a child victim, but witnesses confirmed his leadership in violent incursions.
The judge cited Kwoyelo’s young age at recruitment, subordinate position, and expressed remorse as factors avoiding a death sentence.
The case highlights the complex legacy of a conflict that saw thousands of children abducted and used as soldiers or sex slaves.