---
title: "Ugandan court sentences rebel commander to 40 years for war crimes"
description: "KAMPALA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - A Ugandan court on Friday sentenced Thomas Kwoyelo, a mid-level commander in the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, to 40 years in prison for war crimes."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Lord's Resistance Army"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-25-ugandan-court-sentences-rebel-commander-to-40-years-for-war-crimes/"
published: "2024-10-25T12:23:47"
updated: "2024-10-25T12:23:48"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 108
---

# Ugandan court sentences rebel commander to 40 years for war crimes

> KAMPALA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - A Ugandan court on Friday sentenced Thomas Kwoyelo, a mid-level commander in the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, to 40 years in prison for war crimes.

By Reuters · Published 25 October 2024, 14:23 SAST · Updated 25 October 2024, 14:23 SAST

## Key points
- In a historic verdict, a Ugandan court has finally held a senior member of the infamous Lord's Resistance Army accountable for a laundry list of atrocities that would make even the most hardened warlord cringe, proving that justice, albeit late, can still pack a punch.
- Kwoyelo convicted of multiple war crimes, marking a significant judicial milestone in Uganda.
- The LRA, led by Joseph Kony, terrorized Uganda for nearly two decades in a bid to overthrow the government.
- Known for extreme brutality, the LRA committed heinous acts including murder, rape, and abduction.
- This trial represents a rare instance of accountability for senior members of the notorious insurgent group.

## Content

Kwoyelo was found guilty of dozens of war crimes that included murder, rape, enslavement, torture and kidnap in August, the first time a senior member of the group had been tried by Uganda's judiciary.

Founded in the late 1980s with the aim of overthrowing the government, the LRA brutalised Ugandans under the leadership of Joseph Kony for nearly 20 years as it battled the military from bases in northern Uganda.

The insurgents were notorious for horrific acts of cruelty, including rapes, abductions, hacking off victims' limbs and lips and using crude instruments to bludgeon people to death.

(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hereward Holland and Toby Chopra)