A court in Uganda has ruled that the government must pay $2,740 to each victim of former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo, who was convicted in October for war crimes. This marks the first time a senior member of the notorious LRA has been held accountable for his actions in a Ugandan court.
Kwoyelo, who was a key commander in the LRA, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after being found guilty on 44 charges, including murder, rape, enslavement, pillaging, torture, and kidnapping. The atrocities took place during the LRA’s violent insurgency against the Ugandan government, which lasted for nearly two decades, primarily in the northern regions of the country.

However, on Monday, the court ruled that Kwoyelo, due to his “indigent” status, would be unable to pay the compensation himself. As a result, the court placed the financial burden on the Ugandan government, stating that the scale of the crimes committed by Kwoyelo was so vast that the state’s failure to prevent these actions warranted their responsibility for the compensation.
In addition to the compensation for the victims of Kwoyelo’s direct actions, the court also ordered financial restitution for victims of other crimes he had committed, including property destruction and theft.
The LRA, a brutal rebel group founded in the late 1980s by Joseph Kony, waged a violent campaign against the Ugandan government in an effort to overthrow the administration and establish a theocratic state based on Kony’s interpretation of the Ten Commandments. Over the years, the group became infamous for its widespread use of child soldiers, abductions, and brutal tactics. The conflict displaced millions and left countless victims in its wake.
Although the LRA’s activities have diminished in recent years and reports of attacks are now rare, Kony remains at large, and the LRA’s leaders continue to evade justice. Kony was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2005, but he has never been apprehended. The Ugandan government’s move to hold Kwoyelo accountable is seen as an important step in seeking justice for the victims of the LRA’s crimes.
The decision to make the Ugandan government responsible for compensation emphasizes the continuing need for state accountability in the aftermath of Uganda’s civil wars and the ongoing efforts to support the victims of conflict.