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Former Congolese Vice President Faces Trial

   VOA News 22 November 2010
   Jean-Pierre Bemba is seen in court at the International Criminal Court
   in  The  Hague,  Netherlands.  The  appeals panel at the International
   Criminal   Court   later  rejected  former  Congolese  Vice  President
   Jean-Pierre Bemba's bid to have five counts of rape, mur

Photo: AP

   Jean-Pierre Bemba is seen in court at the International Criminal Court
   in The Hague, Netherlands.

   A  former  vice  president of the Democratic Republic of Congo goes on
   trial  at  the  International  Criminal  Court  Monday  for war crimes
   allegedly committed by his troops in the Central African Republic.
   Prosecutors  accuse  Jean-Pierre  Bemba of permitting his militia, the
   Movement  for the Liberation of Congo, to rape and murder civilians in
   the neighboring country in late 2002 and early 2003. Â
   Bemba  sent  his troops to the Central African Republic at the request
   of   the  country's  then-President  Ange-Feliz  Patasse  to  fight  a
   rebellion  led  by  the country's former army chief of staff, Francois
   Bozize, who is now president. Â
   Chief   international   prosecutor   Luis   Moreno-Ocampo  says  after
   conquering  rebel-held areas, Bemba's men moved from house to house in
   small groups "raping, pillaging and killing civilians."
   Bemba's  lawyers say he had no command of the troops once they crossed
   the border into the Central African Republic and is not responsible.
   Bemba  is  charged  with  three counts of war crimes and two counts of
   crimes against humanity.
   More  than  1,000 people have asked to be recognized as victims in the
   alleged atrocities.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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