Lessons from Ongwen, Gbagbo trial at The Hague

Two significant criminal trials for Africa are underway, ironically in Europe at The Hague.

The two are the trials of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commander Dominic Ongwen and former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo alongside militia leader Charles Ble Goude, his supporter in the 2010 Ivorian election crisis that brought the country on its knees.

All the three standing in two separate trials face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. They killed, maimed, raped and robbed their own people in their insatiable thirst to win or retain power.

Ongwen, who was abducted by the Joseph Kony rebels, grew into a brutal killer while Gbagbo who spent years fighting for democracy in his country in the end turned into one of the worst dictators who could not leave power even after he lost the vote.

It would have been good for the three suspects to be tried on the African soil and in their countries where they committed the alleged crimes to send a clear message that impunity does not pay and justice, however delayed does finally come.

Even then, from the distant Hague, we hope the lesson will not be lost on us on the continent of Africa and especially the politicians and armed groups – both regular and irregular who are wont to abuse their power.

Indeed one of the key lessons to learn from this trial is that power is temporal and should be exercised judiciously else there will be a moment of atonement. The other lesson is that leadership is a responsibility that must not be abused to satisfy selfish needs and ambitions.

For us in Uganda, the lessons are even more pertinent considering that we are in the middle of an acrimonious election that has generated a lot of venom from either side with the ruling party officials and security chiefs saying they will not hand over power whatever the outcome of the election, and the Opposition saying it will accept nothing short of power transfer.

It is, therefore, important for our leaders to reflect on the ongoing trials at The Hague and step back from the precipice they are pushing the country.

The ones who hold power and guns and have been entrusted to ensure the country’s security are in a very unique position to ensure that we all win by sticking to the Constitution and the path of democracy or we all lose by subverting democracy and going for each other’s throat.
The same responsibility lies on the shoulders of the umpires – the Electoral Commission, the police and the Judiciary.

They must act impartial and stick to the laws to ensure we come out of this in one piece for Uganda is bigger than any single individual.
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