Germain Katanga
Encyclopedia
Germain Katanga also known as Simba, is a former leader of the Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri
(FRPI). On 17 October 2007, the Congolese authorities surrendered him to the International Criminal Court
(ICC) to stand trial on six counts of war crime
s and three counts of crimes against humanity
. The charges include murder
, sexual slavery
and using children under the age of fifteen to participate actively in hostilities.
, Ituri Province, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC). He is believed to be of Ngiti
ethnicity. He is married to Denise Katanga and has two children.
, a militia
group which was involved in the conflict in Ituri
. On 24 February 2003, Katanga allegedly led an attack on the village of Bogoro
in which rebels under his command went on an "indiscriminate killing spree", killing at least 200 civilian
s, imprisoning survivors in a room filled with corpses, and sexually enslaving women and girls. It has also been alleged that Katanga helped lead other crimes, including the massacre of more than 1,200 civilians in an attack at Nyakunde Hospital in September 2002.
On 11 December 2004, Katanga was one of six former militia leaders appointed as general
s in the DRC army as part of a peace process.
He was arrested by the Congolese authorities in early March 2005 in connection with the killing of nine United Nations peacekeepers in Ituri on 25 February 2005. He was held without charge until his transfer to the ICC in October 2007. On 1 November 2005, a United Nations Security Council
committee imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on Katanga for violating an arms embargo
.
found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Katanga bore individual criminal responsibility for war crime
s and crimes against humanity
committed during the Bogoro attack, and issued a sealed warrant for his arrest. He was charged with six counts of war crimes (wilful killing; inhuman treatment or cruel treatment; using children under the age of fifteen years to participate actively in hostilities
; sexual slavery
; intentionally directing attacks against civilians; and pillaging) and three counts of crimes against humanity (murder
, inhumane acts and sexual slavery).
On 17 October 2007, the Congolese authorities surrendered him to the ICC and he was flown to the ICC's detention centre in The Hague
. Katanga was the second person surrendered to the ICC since its establishment in 2002.
In February 2008, another suspect, Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, was surrendered to the ICC to face charges in relation to the Bogoro attack; he and Katanga will be tried jointly. The hearing to confirm the charges against them began on 27 June 2008. and ended on 11 July 2008. On 26 September 2008, Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed some of the charges against Katanga and Ngudjolo and committed them for trial before a Trial Chamber of the Court.
The trial began on 24 November 2009.
Front for Patriotic Resistance of Ituri
The Front for Patriotic Resistance of Ituri is a Beni-based armed militia and political party in the Ituri Province of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The FRPI was established in November 2002 from the Ngiti ethnic group as an ally to the Lendu Nationalist and Integrationist Front...
(FRPI). On 17 October 2007, the Congolese authorities surrendered him to the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
(ICC) to stand trial on six counts of war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s and three counts of crimes against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
. The charges include murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, sexual slavery
Sexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
and using children under the age of fifteen to participate actively in hostilities.
Early life and family
Katanga was born on 28 April 1978 in MambasaMambasa
Mambasa is a town in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the headquarters of the Mambasa Territory....
, Ituri Province, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
(DRC). He is believed to be of Ngiti
Ngiti
The Ngiti, or South Lendu, is an ethnolinguistic group located in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ngiti speakers call their language Ndruna. As of 1991, the Ngiti numbered 100,000 located in the Irumu territory south of Bunia...
ethnicity. He is married to Denise Katanga and has two children.
Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri
In early 2003, he emerged as the senior commander of the FRPIFront for Patriotic Resistance of Ituri
The Front for Patriotic Resistance of Ituri is a Beni-based armed militia and political party in the Ituri Province of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The FRPI was established in November 2002 from the Ngiti ethnic group as an ally to the Lendu Nationalist and Integrationist Front...
, a militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
group which was involved in the conflict in Ituri
Ituri Conflict
The Ituri conflict is a conflict between the agriculturalist Lendu and pastoralist Hema ethnic groups in the Ituri region of the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo . While there have been many phases to the conflict, the most recent armed clashes ran from 1999 to 2003, with a low-level...
. On 24 February 2003, Katanga allegedly led an attack on the village of Bogoro
Bogoro attack
The assault on Bogoro, which occurred on February 24, 2003, was an attack on the village of Bogoro in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the Nationalist and Integrationist Front and the Front for Patriotic Resistance of Ituri...
in which rebels under his command went on an "indiscriminate killing spree", killing at least 200 civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
s, imprisoning survivors in a room filled with corpses, and sexually enslaving women and girls. It has also been alleged that Katanga helped lead other crimes, including the massacre of more than 1,200 civilians in an attack at Nyakunde Hospital in September 2002.
On 11 December 2004, Katanga was one of six former militia leaders appointed as general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
s in the DRC army as part of a peace process.
He was arrested by the Congolese authorities in early March 2005 in connection with the killing of nine United Nations peacekeepers in Ituri on 25 February 2005. He was held without charge until his transfer to the ICC in October 2007. On 1 November 2005, a United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
committee imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on Katanga for violating an arms embargo
Arms embargo
An arms embargo is an embargo that applies to weaponry. It may also include "dual use" items. An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:# to signal disapproval of behavior by a certain actor,# to maintain neutral standing in an ongoing conflict, or...
.
International Criminal Court proceedings
On 2 July 2007, a Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICCInternational Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Katanga bore individual criminal responsibility for war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s and crimes against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
committed during the Bogoro attack, and issued a sealed warrant for his arrest. He was charged with six counts of war crimes (wilful killing; inhuman treatment or cruel treatment; using children under the age of fifteen years to participate actively in hostilities
Military use of children
The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities , or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in...
; sexual slavery
Sexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
; intentionally directing attacks against civilians; and pillaging) and three counts of crimes against humanity (murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, inhumane acts and sexual slavery).
On 17 October 2007, the Congolese authorities surrendered him to the ICC and he was flown to the ICC's detention centre in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. Katanga was the second person surrendered to the ICC since its establishment in 2002.
In February 2008, another suspect, Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, was surrendered to the ICC to face charges in relation to the Bogoro attack; he and Katanga will be tried jointly. The hearing to confirm the charges against them began on 27 June 2008. and ended on 11 July 2008. On 26 September 2008, Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed some of the charges against Katanga and Ngudjolo and committed them for trial before a Trial Chamber of the Court.
The trial began on 24 November 2009.
External links
- The Prosecutor v Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui — public court records relating to the ICC trial