The Hague, 24 July 2025 — The Trial Chamber V of the International Criminal Court delivered its judgment in the case The Prosecutor v. Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona. The Chamber found both Mr Yekatom and Mr Ngaïssona guilty beyond reasonable doubt of multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Bangui and western regions of the Central African Republic between September 2013 and at least February 2014.
The Chamber—composed of Presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt, Judge Péter Kovács, Judge Chang-ho Chung, and Alternate Judge Beti Hohler—sentenced Mr Yekatom to 15 years of imprisonment and Mr. Ngaïssona to 12 years. Time already spent in detention will be deducted from their sentences.
The crimes occurred in the context of an internal conflict in the CAR between the Seleka and the Anti-Balaka groups. The Seleka, formed around August 2012 and composed primarily, though not exclusively, of Muslims—including elements from Chad and Sudan—opposed then-President François Bozizé. On 24 March 2013, they seized control of Bangui, with Seleka leader Michel Djotodia declaring himself president. The Seleka committed widespread violence and abuses across the country, particularly targeting those associated with Bozizé and non-Muslim populations.
In response, Mr Ngaïssona was involved in efforts to organize resistance to the Seleka and facilitate Bozizé’s return to power. Concurrently, Mr Yekatom began forming an armed group with Freddy Ouandjio (alias “Coeur de Lion”) and Habib Beina. These and other initially independent groups eventually coalesced into a single movement known as the Anti-Balaka, united in their opposition to the Seleka.
The Chamber found that Mr Ngaïssona played a central role in formalizing the Anti-Balaka’s structure and provided financial support. Mr Yekatom maintained full control over his group, which was recognized as part of the broader Anti-Balaka movement. Both men were aware that the Anti-Balaka viewed the Muslim civilian population as collectively responsible for the Seleka’s abuses, leading to widespread and targeted attacks between September 2013 and February 2014—including coordinated assaults on Bangui and Bossangoa on 5 December 2013.
While the charges in this case relate specifically to crimes against Muslim civilians or individuals perceived as such, the Chamber underscored that the conflict was not religious in origin. Testimony from Muslim and non-Muslim witnesses revealed that communities had coexisted peacefully before the conflict. However, religious identities were later instrumentalised by leaders for political and economic purposes.
Individual Responsibility and Convictions
Mr Alfred Yekatom was found guilty of crimes committed during the Bangui attack, events at Yamwara, and along the PK9–Mbaïki axis. These include:
- Attacks against the civilian population
- Murder
- Forcible transfer, displacement, and deportation
- Directing attacks against religious buildings
- Torture and cruel treatment
- Other inhumane acts
- Imprisonment and severe deprivation of liberty
- Persecution
Mr Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona was found guilty for aiding, abetting, or otherwise assisting in crimes committed in the same regions and time period, including:
- Attacks against the civilian population
- Murder
- Forcible transfer, displacement, and deportation
- Directing attacks against religious buildings
- Torture and cruel treatment
- Other inhumane acts
- Imprisonment and severe deprivation of liberty
- Destruction of property
- Persecution
These findings were by majority, with Judge Péter Kovács dissenting in relation to the war crime of torture and the war crime and crime against humanity of murder concerning the killing of a victim identified as Saint Cyr.
The Chamber did not uphold certain charges against Mr Ngaïssona, including:
- The war crime of pillaging
- Directing an attack against a religious building in Bossangoa
- Responsibility for rape committed in Bossangoa
In Mr Yekatom’s case, the Chamber—by majority, with Judge Chang-ho Chung dissenting—did not uphold the charge of conscripting, enlisting, or using children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities.
