The International Criminal Court has sent two militia leaders convicted of committing war crimes in Congo to that country to serve the remainder of their prison sentences.
Thomas Lubanga and Germain Katanga were transferred to a Congolese prison on Saturday to the Makala prison in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo.
Lubanga was sentenced in 2012 to 14 years for using child soldiers in his militia during fighting in the mineral-rich eastern region of Ituri.
Katanga was sentenced in 2014 to 12 years for crimes including being an accessory to murder. Katanga’s punishment was reduced by appeals judges and he is due to complete his sentence Jan. 18, the court said.
The placement of the two in a Congo prison “is the happy outcome of a long legal process,” said Congo Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba. He said it shows cooperation between the court and Congo, and “holds our country up as a model” for other nations.
