A United Nations-backed court in the Central African Republic (CAR) said it had charged ex-rebel leader Abdoulaye Hissene with crimes against humanity and war crimes on Thursday.
One of the poorest countries in the world, the CAR was plunged into a bloody sectarian conflict after Seleka rebels, a coalition of armed groups mainly composed of Muslims, removed President Francois Bozize in early 2013.
The court said it had charged Hissene with “several crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the Central African Republic in 2017, in his capacity as leader” of the FRPC (Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic) armed group.
It has also pointed to the FRPC leader’s links with ex-rebel group leader Maxime Mokom. He faces 20 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for atrocities committed against Muslim civilians in the CAR by his self-proclaimed self-defense militias in 2013 and 2014.
The charges against Mokom, brought before the International Criminal Court, included directing attacks against civilians, murder, rape, pillaging, and destruction of property, as well as attacks against religious buildings including mosques.
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