Congolese warlord appears before war crimes court

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2007

THE HAGUE (AFP) — Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga on Monday became only the second war crimes suspect to appear before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

During the largely procedural initial hearing, Katanga, 29, sat quietly with his head bowed.

He stands accused of massacring villagers, using child soldiers and sexually enslaving women in the northeastern Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo in early 2003.

"I have nothing to say," the 29-year-old told the judges.

Among the allegations cited in the ICC arrest warrant, Katanga -- also known as Simba -- planned and led an attack on the village of Bogoro and "the murder of about 200 civilians, causing serious bodily harm" to other villagers.

Women and girls were...