World Court sentences Katanga to 12 years

THE HAGUE , Netherlands, May 23 (UPI) -- Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison by the International Criminal Court for his role in an attack on a village in which over 200 people died.

The court in The Hague had earlier convicted him of aiding and abetting murder and pillage in the Democratic Republic of Congo village of Bogorno, but he was acquitted of rape and employment of child soldiers. The massacre in Bogorno took only hours, but victims were shot and dismembered.

Presiding judge Bruno Cotte noted there was no proof of Katanga's personal involvement in the killings, although Katanga obtained the weapons for the genocide, and the militia group he commanded had the intent of destroying the village and its residents.

Katanga is only the second person convicted by the court for crimes committed in fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thomas Lubanga, an adversary of Katanga's during fighting between militia groups in the Ituri region of the country, is serving a 14-year sentence.

Human rights groups applauded the sentence, noting some degree of accountability was provided for horrific crimes committed in the country. Geraldine Mattioli-Zeltner, of the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, said the sentence "a measure of justice for victims of atrocities in Ituri that too often go unpunished."