The former leader of the Central African Republic (CAR) football federation, Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, has been convicted of 28 war crimes and crimes against humanity by judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Alongside Alfred Yekatom, he was accused of orchestrating attacks against the country's Muslim population between 2013 and 2014.
Yekatom, who is also known as Rambo, was found guilty of 20 charges. The verdict came after a nearly four-year trial that involved over 170 witnesses and nearly 20,000 pieces of evidence.
Ngaïssona was sentenced to 12 years, while Yekatom received a 15-year sentence.
Violence has plagued the Central African Republic (CAR) for much of the past decade, but a recent peace agreement led to the disbandment of two rebel groups this month.
CAR descended into chaos in 2013 when predominantly Muslim rebels from the Séléka group took control of the majority Christian country. In response, a group of mostly Christian militias, called the anti-Balaka, rose up after the ousting of then-President François Bozizé.
Ngaïssona and Yekatom were found guilty of multiple crimes, including murder, torture, and the persecution of a religious group.
Ngaïssona was acquitted of charges related to rape, while Yekatom was cleared of the charge of recruiting child soldiers.
Both men denied all charges. The prosecution outlined the alleged command structure, asserting that Ngaïssona provided funds and directives to the anti-Balaka groups in 2013 and 2014.
Yekatom, as a commander, allegedly led fighters into the capital, Bangui, on 5 December 2013, where civilians were brutally killed.
The prosecution described the pair's strategy as targeting all Muslims, labeling them as "enemies of the nation." It was claimed that Yekatom authorized his fighters to slaughter Muslim civilians, including actions like slitting throats, cutting off ears, and burying people alive.
When asked to plead at the start of the trial, both men denied all charges.
Media reports from the time indicated that at least 1,000 people were killed in retaliatory clashes in Bangui in December 2013, with half of the city's population fleeing during that month alone.
Who is Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona?
Ngaïssona was the self-declared political coordinator of the anti-Balaka forces. He was barred from running for CAR president in 2015 due to his alleged involvement in the atrocities.
Ngaïssona is a former head of CAR's football federation and briefly served as sports minister before being elected to the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in February 2018. His appointment was met with criticism from several human rights organizations.
"If the allegations were true, I wouldn't be here today," he told AFP at the time. "[I don't] mix politics and sport — everything I've done has been for the good of my country."
French authorities arrested him in December 2018, and he was transferred to the ICC in January 2019.
Who is Alfred Yekatom?
Yekatom was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in 2016, despite being under United Nations sanctions.
In October 2018, he was arrested after firing a gun in parliament during an argument with a fellow MP, then fleeing the scene.
His extradition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) marked the first such transfer from the Central African Republic (CAR).
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) stated that this event signified a commitment by CAR authorities to combat impunity.