Julie Hotte was intern at the CICC Communications section.

The time is now for Central African Republic victims to obtain justice. Nearly six months after the confirmation of charges hearing against Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, former leader of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), the International Criminal Court (ICC) decided to send him to trial

Looking back to that hearing, it interesting to see how each party tried to present its view on the allegations of crimes against Bemba.

The Prosecution tried to demonstrate Bemba’s responsibility in the commission of crimes allegedly perpetrated by his armed group, the Mouvement pour la Liberation du Congo (MLC): ” Jean-Pierre Bemba wanted to traumatize and to terrorize the population and to make them unwilling to support the rebels, and to do this [...], he chose rape as his main weapon”.

The Defense, by arguing that Bemba was not in the best position to stop such atrocities from happening because “he was not in a position to have perfect knowledge of the events”, implicitly acknowledged the commission of such crimes.

As for the legal representatives for the victims, they reminded the importance of justice not only for victims but also for sustainable peace asserting that impunity in the Central African Republic (CAR): “would not allow for durable peace because there is no peace if there is no justice”. They concluded that “the Court is the last resort for these victims”.

On 15 June, the ICC judges came to the conclusion that there was sufficient evidence to believe that Bemba is criminally responsible as a military commander for the crimes committed by his troops from 26 October 2002 to 15 March 2003 in CAR. They decided to send him to trial. Earlier this year, ICC Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, reportedly explained to the media that Jean-Pierre Bemba could face an imprisonment of at least 30 years if found guilty.

The starting date for the trial has not yet been fixed and the numerous victims of these sexual acts of violence will still have to wait before being able to think of obtaining reparation, if such reparation is possible. Whether or not reparations are possible for the victims of Bemba’s crimes, one thing is for certain: these people will carry physical and emotional scars for the rest of their lives. Perhaps, the fact that Bemba is finally being brought to justice will give these victims a much needed step towards the long road to recovery.