Congolese child soldiers awarded $10 million in damages

By Godfrey Olukya

ARU, Democratic Republic of Congo (AA)

International war crimes judges on Friday awarded $10 million in compensation to hundreds of former child soldiers forcibly recruited by a Congolese warlord to his militia.

The Hague-based International Criminal Court identified 425 victims who at the time of their recruitments in 2002 and 2003 were under 15 years of age.

According to Peter Longwa, a Congolese judicial official, the judges ordered warlord Thomas Lubanga to pay a compensation of $8,000 to each of the child soldiers, making a total of $3.4 million.

The judges also awarded a further $6.6 million to help any other child soldiers who might come forward later.

"Although the court has ordered Lubanga to pay the former child solders, it has also made an observation that he will not be able to pay all money to the victims," Longwa said.

He added that the warlord would pay the amount he could afford, while the rest of the money would be paid by an independent Trust Fund for Victims in cooperation with the government of the DRC.

Lubanga, 57, is a convicted war criminal from DRC, and the first person ever convicted by the ICC.

He founded and led the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) and was a key player in the Ituri conflict in 1999-2007. Rebels under his command have been accused of massive human rights violations, including ethnic massacres, murder, torture, rape, mutilation, and forcibly recruiting child soldiers.

On March 14, 2012, Lubanga was found guilty of recruiting children and sentenced to 14 years in jail.