Trial for Dominic Ongwen of Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has opened at the International Criminal Court (ICC) becoming the first member of the brutal rebel group to go on trial in the landmark ICC.
Ongwen, a Ugandan who is now 40 years old and who was once a child soldier is facing 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the rebel group led by the elusive Joseph Kony.
According to Human Rights Watch and UN reports, the rebel group has slaughtered more than 100,000 people and abducted 60,000 children since it launched a bloody rebellion against Kampala.
More than 4,000 victims are taking part in Ongwen's trial and thousands of others are expected to watch the trial unfold at four viewing sites in northern Uganda.
"Victims of LRA crimes have been waiting for justice for up to 14 years," said Sheila Muwanga, vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights.
After this week's opening, the trial is set to resume on January 16, 2017 and is expected to last for some years.
Ongwen handed himself to U.S forces in 2015, but Kony, the leader of LRA remains at large with about 150 followers hiding out in the jungles of the Central African Republic.
