Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former rebel leader in Congo jailed by the International Criminal Court (ICC), was appointed as the country's deputy prime minister and defence minister in a cabinet reshuffle. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press on Friday (March 24), Bemba's appointment was announced on Thursday on state television by President Felix Tshisekedi’s spokesperson.&nbsp;

Bemba was Congo's vice president from 2003 and 2006 and was later imprisoned by the ICC for over 10 years, accused of murder, rape and pillaging committed by his Movement for the Liberation of Congo forces in the neighbouring country of Central African Republic.

He was acquitted by the ICC in 2018. His return to politics comes nine months ahead of the presidential election in Congo. According to analysts, Bemba's comeback was likely decided to help Tshisekedi win votes in Congo’s northeast, where Bemba’s rebel group was popular in the 1990s and 2000s, the Associated Press reported.&nbsp;

Benjamin Hunter, Africa analyst for Verisk Maplecroft,&nbsp;a risk assessment firm, said, “This is clearly a pre-election reshuffle and Jean-Pierre Bemba has been appointed to bring his supporters in line to rally behind the president ahead of the race."

Hunter added that despite Bemba's previous imprisonment by the ICC, he is a political heavyweight with patronage networks and a contact book to help Tshisekedi’s election campaign.&nbsp;

Conflict in eastern Congo has been simmering for decades, and President Felix Tshisekedi came to office in 2019 promising to stop the country's instability and violence, but it only increased.&nbsp;

Apart from Bemba's appointment, other new government postings in Thursday's cabinet reshuffle include Tshisekedi’s former chief of staff, Vital Kamerhe, who was named the minister of the economy, the report said. And Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi, a former warlord in Ituri province was appointed minister of state for national integration.

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former rebel leader in Congo jailed by the International Criminal Court (ICC), was appointed as the country's deputy prime minister and defence minister in a cabinet reshuffle.

Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former rebel leader in Congo jailed by the International Criminal Court (ICC), was appointed as the country's deputy prime minister and defence minister in a cabinet reshuffle. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press on Friday (March 24), Bemba's appointment was announced on Thursday on state television by President Felix Tshisekedi’s spokesperson. Bemba was Congo's vice president from 2003 and 2006 and was later imprisoned by the ICC for over 10 years, accused of murder, rape and pillaging committed by his Movement for the Liberation of Congo forces in the neighbouring country of Central African Republic. He was acquitted by the ICC in 2018. His return to politics comes nine months ahead of the presidential election in Congo. According to analysts, Bemba's comeback was likely decided to help Tshisekedi win votes in Congo’s northeast, where Bemba’s rebel group was popular in the 1990s and 2000s, the Associated Press reported. Benjamin Hunter, Africa analyst for Verisk Maplecroft, a risk assessment firm, said, “This is clearly a pre-election reshuffle and Jean-Pierre Bemba has been appointed to bring his supporters in line to rally behind the president ahead of the race." Hunter added that despite Bemba's previous imprisonment by the ICC, he is a political heavyweight with patronage networks and a contact book to help Tshisekedi’s election campaign. Conflict in eastern Congo has been simmering for decades, and President Felix Tshisekedi came to office in 2019 promising to stop the country's instability and violence, but it only increased. Apart from Bemba's appointment, other new government postings in Thursday's cabinet reshuffle include Tshisekedi’s former chief of staff, Vital Kamerhe, who was named the minister of the economy, the report said. And Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi, a former warlord in Ituri province was appointed minister of state for national integration. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Congo's former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba appointed as country's deputy PM, defence minister

Judges at the world&#39;s only permanent war crimes court will on Tuesday pass sentence on former Congolese leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, with prosecutors calling for a minimum 25-year sentence. 
 
If the judges agree with the prosecution, it will be the highest jail term ever imposed by the International Criminal Court (ICC)&nbsp;in a case that was the first there to focus on rape as a weapon of war. 
 
Prosecutors blamed the former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo for turning a blind eye to a reign of terror by his troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) from October 2002 to May 2003. 
 
He was found guilty in March of five charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, after sending some 1,500 troops from his private army into CAR to help quash a coup against the then president. 
 
Bemba&#39;s Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) carried out a series of rapes and murders as they sought to prop up then president Ange-Felix Patasse. 
 
Experts testified that the brutality of the events would have long-term traumatic effects on the victims and their communities. 
 
In their verdict handed down at the end of a trial which began in November 2010, the ICC judges found that despite knowing what was happening, Bemba &quot;failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures to prevent&quot; a litany of crimes, which included the gang rapes of men, women and children, sometimes as their relatives were forced to watch. 
 
Bemba, 53, will become the highest level person sentenced at the tribunal based in The Hague. 
 
The prosecution&#39;s request for a 25-year sentence &quot;does reflect the gravity of these crimes,&quot; human rights activist Carrie Comer told AFP. 
 
The ICC has previously sentenced two others convicted there to 14 and 12 years in prison. 
 
Command responsibility 
 
As well as the issue of rape as a weapon of war, the Bemba case was also the first at the ICC to focus on a military commander&#39;s responsibility for abuses by his troops, even if he did not order them. 
 
Defence lawyers have argued that Bemba, who has already spent eight years in detention since his 2008 arrest in Brussels, should be released. 
 
Bemba &quot;did not participate in the crimes. He was not standing there and encouraging his troops... Mr Bemba was not even in the same country,&quot; defence lawyer Peter Haynes said at an ICC hearing last month. 
 
His &quot;culpability arises from his failure to control a small fraction of his troops who were thousands of miles away&quot;. 
 
Activists warn however that a light sentence would fail to send a warning to other military commanders. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s really important that the court recognise the command responsibility,&nbsp;and there&#39;s an opportunity here to provide a deterrent,&quot; said Comer, the permanent representative to the ICC for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). 
 
&quot;If you knew, or you should have known, that these things were going on and you execute effective control over your troops then, yes, you&#39;re absolutely responsible for&nbsp;not preventing or punishing these crimes.&quot; 
 
The FIDH, which represents some 178 rights organisations from the around the world, is also hoping &quot;the trial chamber will come back with a strong sentence on this in recognition of the particular devastating harm that sexual and gender-based crimes have on victims, their families and their communities at large.&quot; 
 
The landmark Bemba verdict was hailed at the time, even though many were shocked at how long it had taken for sexual violence to be focused on in an international trial. 
 
American actress Angelina Jolie urged the international community &quot;to build on the important legal precedent&quot; set by the Bemba case so that &quot;we can collectively shatter impunity for the use of rape as a weapon of war and terrorism&quot;.

The prosecutor called for a 25-year sentence. He will become the highest level official to be sentenced at the tribunal at Hague

Judges at the world's only permanent war crimes court will on Tuesday pass sentence on former Congolese leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, with prosecutors calling for a minimum 25-year sentence. If the judges agree with the prosecution, it will be the highest jail term ever imposed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a case that was the first there to focus on rape as a weapon of war. Prosecutors blamed the former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo for turning a blind eye to a reign of terror by his troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) from October 2002 to May 2003. He was found guilty in March of five charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, after sending some 1,500 troops from his private army into CAR to help quash a coup against the then president. Bemba's Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) carried out a series of rapes and murders as they sought to prop up then president Ange-Felix Patasse. Experts testified that the brutality of the events would have long-term traumatic effects on the victims and their communities. In their verdict handed down at the end of a trial which began in November 2010, the ICC judges found that despite knowing what was happening, Bemba "failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures to prevent" a litany of crimes, which included the gang rapes of men, women and children, sometimes as their relatives were forced to watch. Bemba, 53, will become the highest level person sentenced at the tribunal based in The Hague. The prosecution's request for a 25-year sentence "does reflect the gravity of these crimes," human rights activist Carrie Comer told AFP. The ICC has previously sentenced two others convicted there to 14 and 12 years in prison. Command responsibility As well as the issue of rape as a weapon of war, the Bemba case was also the first at the ICC to focus on a military commander's responsibility for abuses by his troops, even if he did not order them. Defence lawyers have argued that Bemba, who has already spent eight years in detention since his 2008 arrest in Brussels, should be released. Bemba "did not participate in the crimes. He was not standing there and encouraging his troops... Mr Bemba was not even in the same country," defence lawyer Peter Haynes said at an ICC hearing last month. His "culpability arises from his failure to control a small fraction of his troops who were thousands of miles away". Activists warn however that a light sentence would fail to send a warning to other military commanders. "It's really important that the court recognise the command responsibility, and there's an opportunity here to provide a deterrent," said Comer, the permanent representative to the ICC for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). "If you knew, or you should have known, that these things were going on and you execute effective control over your troops then, yes, you're absolutely responsible for not preventing or punishing these crimes." The FIDH, which represents some 178 rights organisations from the around the world, is also hoping "the trial chamber will come back with a strong sentence on this in recognition of the particular devastating harm that sexual and gender-based crimes have on victims, their families and their communities at large." The landmark Bemba verdict was hailed at the time, even though many were shocked at how long it had taken for sexual violence to be focused on in an international trial. American actress Angelina Jolie urged the international community "to build on the important legal precedent" set by the Bemba case so that "we can collectively shatter impunity for the use of rape as a weapon of war and terrorism".

Congo's Bemba to be handed landmark war crimes sentence

jean-pierre-bemba

Jean Pierre Bemba, News on Jean Pierre Bemba, stories on Jean Pierre Bemba, articles on Jean Pierre Bemba, Jean Pierre Bemba stories at Wion, Jean Pierre Bemba news, Jean Pierre Bemba latest news

jean pierre-bemba

Congo's former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba appointed as country's deputy PM, defence minister

Congo's Bemba to be handed landmark war crimes sentence