By Tolit Ivan
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is set to proceed with the identification and registration of victims of Dominic Ongwen’s crimes for possible reparation.
This follows a ruling on Monday by the Appeals Chamber at the ICC that upheld the order of reparations granted by the trial chamber to victims of the convicted former Lord’s Resistance Army rebel commander, Dominic Ongwen.
Ongwen was ordered by the ICC Trial Chamber IX on February 28, 2024, to compensate victims of his crimes in Northern Uganda, a record sum of 52.4 million euros (approximately 200 billion shillings).
However, same chamber found that Ongwen is indigent in compensating his victims, and encouraged the Trust Fund for Victims, TVF, to complement the reparation awards, to the extent possible, and engage in additional fundraising efforts capable of totally compensating the victims.
His defence lawyer, Chief Charles Achaleke Taku, however, in April 2024 appealed against the reparations order and requesting the suspension of its implementation which were dismissed by the court.
Following the dismissal of the appeal, the ICC has announced it is set to commence the long awaited identification and registration of the victims.
The ICC estimates the number of potentially eligible direct and indirect victims to be approximately 49,772 victims in the four case locations of Lukodi in Gulu district, Abok in Oyam district, Pajule in Pader district and Odek in Omoro district.
While addressing the Press on Tuesday from the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC), Maria Mabinty Kamara, the Court’s Outreach Officer who also doubles as the courts spokesperson for Uganda, said identification and registration will kick off in the next 14 days across all the different case locations.
According to Kamara, 35 clerks including former victims and camp chairpersons have been deployed to conduct the exercise.
Ongwen, who attended the appeals judgment on reparations digitally, is serving 25 years in jail in Norway.
He was convicted of 61 crimes comprising crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Northern Uganda between July 1 2002 and Dec. 31 2005.
