One of Africa's Country Former Vice President Jailed For War Crimes

Jean-Pierre Bemba, A Former Vice President of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for murder, rape and pillaging committed by his troop in car

Jean-Pierre Bemba

Former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for murders, rapes and pillaging committed by his troops in the Central African Republic for more than a decade by the International Criminal Court.

The conviction was announced as a result of the command carried out by Bemba, ordering his private troops of 1,500 men to intervene in the neighbouring Central African Republic's civil war.

"The chamber sentences Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo to a total of 18 years of imprisonment," said judge Sylvia Steiner, ruling that the former militia leader had failed to exercise control over his private army sent into the Central African Republic in late October 2002 where they carried out "sadistic" rapes, murders and pillaging of "particular cruelty".

The spokesperson of ICC, Fadi El Abdullah, in his words said that the verdict is "important for the victims" and "the first time they would see justice for the crimes they suffered from".

Minimum of 25-year jail term was called for by the prosecuting council in the landmark case, the first to focus on rape as a weapon of war by the ICC, set up in 2002 to try the world's worst crimes.

The former vice president was convicted in March on a two count charges amongst is crime against humanity and the second was three count charge on war crime.

Bemba was arrested in 2008 and it was a surprise to Bemba, his supporters and his political opponent. The former vice president has been living in semi-exile in Europe for several years.

Bemba's forces the Movement for the Liberation of Congo militia (MLC) were after civilians as part of a "modus operandi" because their plan was to halt the coup bid against the Central African Republic's then-president Ange-Felix Patasse.

Bemba's force forces, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo militia (MLC) raped men, women and children, not only that, the forces also ganged raped a generation of same family at a gunpoint and forced family members and relatives to watch.