Hague agrees to hear Congo warlord trial

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- The International Criminal Court in the Netherlands has agreed to hear the trial of a Congolese warlord accused of recruiting child soldiers.

Judge Claude Jorda ruled at a public hearing in The Hague that Thomas Lubanga Dyilo will face trial for sending soldiers as young as 10 into battle, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The judge said the prosecution's evidence is sufficient to "establish strong grounds to believe" that Lubanga was responsible "for war crimes consisting of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15."

He said the child soldiers were systematically drugged to control fear and sent into battle, where they were "led to kill" and many lost their lives.

The court's decision "means a beginning of the end to the complete impunity that has prevailed for horrific crimes in eastern Congo," said Richard Dicker, international justice program director for Human Rights Watch. "At the same time, this can only be the start."

Dicker called for additional charges to be pursued against Dyilo.