Accused Congolese war criminal surrenders

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- A former Congolese guerrilla leader has been turned over to international authorities at The Hague to stand trial for war crimes, it was announced Thursday.

Germain Katanga, 29, former senior commander of Force de Resistance Patriotique en Ituri of the Congo, is charged with three counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of war crimes, the International Criminal Court said in a news release.

Fatou Bensouda, deputy prosecutor in charge of the trying the case, said Katanga, also known as Simba, is personally responsible for the brutal crimes his forces committed.

"His name will forever be associated with the name of Bogoro, an ordinary village, which he ordered fighters under his command to 'wipe out,'" Bensouda said. "Hundreds were slaughtered. Women were forced into sexual slavery."

Katana joins Congolese suspect Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, who will be tried on crimes relating to the recruitment of children as soldiers. ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said a third case is pending.

"Perpetrators must know they will be prosecuted," Moreno-Ocampa said.

Between January 2002 and December 2003, more than 8,000 civilians died and more than half a million people were displaced from their homes in Ituri, the statement said.