A Long Road to Justice in the Central African Republic

First ICC Conviction of Seleka Leader Shows Court's Critical Role

In November 2013, I went to Bangui and met Michel Djotodia, then the Central African Republic's self-proclaimed interim president. He had taken over the country as the head of a rebel coalition called the Seleka. He received me in a run-down military camp on a hill overlooking the capital, in a darkened office watched over by security cameras and guarded by ragtag soldiers.

I had the uncomfortable task of handing the "president" our latest report. By then, we had documented the killing of civilians and the destruction of more than 1,000 homes by Seleka forces. Djotodia was courteous, engaged, but mostly deflected and sought to distance himself and his forces from many of the crimes we had documented, blaming abuses on criminals.

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What struck me then was not simply the denial. It was the chaos of the military camp, the lawlessness in the country, the collapse of the justice system and the complete absence of accountability.

But justice is finally catching up.

Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) convicted Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, a senior Seleka commander, of crimes against humanity committed in Bangui in 2013. It is an important, if overdue, measure of justice for victims who have waited far too long.

The Seleka's abuses were not the acts of a few isolated individuals. We have documented a pattern of serious crimes and many of those responsible have not faced justice. This includes Nouradine Adam, Seleka's head of intelligence, whom I also met. He remains at large, despite an ICC arrest warrant issued in 2019.

Today, the ICC is under attack by the United States. Offended by the ICC's attempts to advance justice for Palestinians, the Trump administration has promised to dismantle the court "brick by brick" and has imposed crippling sanctions on its officials and others supporting its work.

Human Rights Watch has joined forces with partners to sue the Trump administration in US courts and get rid of these sanctions. ICC members should stand up for the court and those who make its work possible. At stake is the very idea that there should be no impunity for the most serious crimes. It matters to the victims in the Central African Republic and to all civilians caught in the wars tearing our world apart.

Philippe Bolopion, Executive Director