Mahamat Said Abdel Kani allegedly committed these crimes in Bangui, the capital of the CAR, in 2013, when he was operating as a Seleka commander fighting the Anti-Balaka movement that supported former president François Bozizé.
Included in these two counts are crimes of imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearance, and inhumane acts.
The fighting carried out between Seleka and Anti-Balaka allegedly targeted the civilian population, leading to thousands of deaths and displacing thousands more.
Abdel Kani is the first commander of Seleka to be brought before the ICC, according to Elise Keppler, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch.
"His case is an important step, but it should be followed by other cases against Seleka leaders, some of whom are implicated in abuses still being committed today,” she said.
“As I have previously stated, my office will relentlessly pursue justice for victims of atrocity crimes in the Central African Republic,” said ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda after the arrest.
The surrender by Central African Republic authorities of the first Seleka-rebel suspect to face charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an important step toward justice for serious crimes committed by the two main warring factions. https://t.co/pXHAoi1dpU pic.twitter.com/F2U3ooXw9G
— Wenzel Michalski (@WenzelMichalski) January 25, 2021
“Today is another manifestation of that commitment… we will continue to exert all efforts for those responsible for atrocity crimes in CAR, irrespective of which side of the conflict they may be on,” she added.
Meanwhile, the ICC trial of Alfred Yekatom (nickname ‘Rambo’) and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, CAR’s former sports minister, is slated to start on 9 February. Both are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Central African Republic last Thursday announced a 15-day emergency as armed groups tried to blockade the capital Bangui in a bid to topple newly re-elected President Faustin Archange Touadera.
The declaration came hours after the UN envoy to the country called on the Security Council to agree a "substantial increase" in the number of peacekeepers deployed there in response to deadly violence.
Rebels controlling about two thirds of the volatile nation launched an offensive a week before presidential elections on December 27, trying to blockade Bangui and carrying out several attacks on key national highways.
(with agencies)
