A court in Uganda has sentenced Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison after a landmark war crimes trial over his role in the group’s two-decade reign of violence. The sentence was handed down by lead judge Michael Elubu, with Justice Duncan Gasagwa stating that Kwoyelo played a prominent role in planning, strategy, and execution of crimes of extreme gravity. The victims of these crimes were left with lasting physical and mental pain and suffering. Kwoyelo was found guilty of 44 offenses, including murder and rape, and not guilty of three counts of murder.
This trial marked the first time a member of the LRA was tried by Uganda’s judiciary and the first atrocity case to be tried under a special division of the high court focusing on international crimes. The LRA was founded in the late 1980s with the goal of overthrowing the Ugandan government led by President Yoweri Museveni. Under the leadership of Joseph Kony, the group brutalised Ugandans for nearly 20 years with acts of extreme cruelty, such as hacking off limbs and lips. Kwoyelo, believed to be in his fifties, was a low-level commander who was abducted by the LRA at age 12, eventually becoming a senior commander overseeing the treatment of wounded fighters.
Kwoyelo was captured in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2009, following a raid by regional forces as the LRA was forced out of northern Uganda due to military offensives. He spent the next 14 years in prison as the case against him was built. Some advocated for his release due to his long pre-trial detention, arguing that he was forcibly conscripted into combat as a child. However, others, including victims, maintained that Kwoyelo was involved in killings and torture and should face justice. Defence lawyer Caleb Akala argued for Kwoyelo’s innocence, stating that he was also a victim of the LRA as a child.
Despite avoiding the death penalty, Kwoyelo was sentenced to 40 years in prison due to his recruitment at a young age, his lower position within the LRA ranks, his expression of remorse, and willingness to reconcile with victims. The LRA is known for abducting thousands of children to be used as sex slaves or child soldiers, leading to its designation as a terror group by various international bodies. The sentencing of Kwoyelo serves as a significant milestone in addressing the atrocities committed by the LRA during its reign of violence in Uganda.
