Former Central African Republic militia leader Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka attends the International Criminal Court hearings to determine the exact charges it will bring against him, in The Hague, Netherlands, August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday said a former militia leader played a key role in coordinating attacks on Muslim civilians in the Central African Republic.
Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka was handed over to the court in March 2022. A former national coordinator of so-called anti-balaka militias, he is accused of violently targeting the Muslim civilian population in 2013 and 2014.
"He was the one who looked for ammunition, coordinated the deployment of anti-balaka in the prefectures and oversaw the attacks," prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said.
The Central African Republic has been mired in violence since a coalition of mostly northern and predominantly Muslim rebels known as Seleka, or "Alliance" in the Sango language, seized power in March 2013. Their dominance gave rise to the opposing anti-balaka Christian militias.
Prosecutors say the anti-balaka killed hundreds of Muslim civilians and forced thousands to leave their homes.
The ICC has been investigating the violence in CAR since May 2014. There are already two ongoing trials before the court involving two other anti-balaka leaders and one Seleka leader.
Tuesday's hearing is for prosecutors to prove there are substantial grounds to formally charge Mokom with 20 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, rape, persecution and deportation.
Mokom has not commented publicly on the charges since he has been in ICC custody, but is expected to speak in court later on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; editing by Giles Elgood)
