On 28 February 2024, judges of Trial Chamber IX of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a long-anticipated reparations decision in the case of Dominic Ongwen, a former commander of the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Ongwen was convicted in February 2021 of 61 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including unprecedented numbers of sexual and gender-based crimes committed against civilians in Northern Uganda. The judges’ award of €52,429,000 EUR to an estimated 49,772 victims in the case, is the largest-ever reparations award by the Court and the first time that any judicial body, national or international, has granted reparations to the thousands of victims of the atrocities committed in Northern Uganda. The judges ordered collective community-based reparations focused on rehabilitation and symbolic/satisfaction measures, consisting of collective rehabilitation programmes, as well as a symbolic award of €750 EUR for eligible victims of the crimes.
The conflict in that region left deep scars on the affected communities. Civilians, in particular women and girls, were targeted by both rebel and government forces who committed grave atrocities including egregious acts of sexual violence. The journey toward reparations has been protracted, with many victims still grappling with enduring physical, mental, and emotional trauma from their experiences.
Image: On 21 January 2016, the confirmation of charges hearing in the case of The Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen opened before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at 09:30 (The Hague local time). Pictured here: Dominic Ongwen at his confirmation of charges hearing in ICC courtroom I on 21 January 2016 © ICC-CPI
