THE practice of pressing young boys into military service has been despised since the beginning of modern warfare which makes it especially satisfying that Thomas Lubanga, a Congolese war lord went on trial yesterday for exactly that offense. Although clearly guilty of crimes that went far beyond forcing boys under the age of 15 into military service – he is directly responsible for a number of massacres – he will be prosecuted, for the time being, only on the child soldiering charge. It is absolutely necessary that the news of his prosecution be spread as widely as possible in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country where non-urban areas frequently lack electricity and access to mass media. But the people of the DRC have been victimized for so long by marauding militia whose true interest is not political change but control of the DRC's vast mineral wealth, it is imperative that they see that such criminals can no longer maim, murder and kidnap with impunity. Residents of the DRC understandably feel forgotten by the rest of the world. Millions were killed in a long-running civil war and even the end of the civil war did not bring an end to the killings. It is the focal point of the largest UN peacekeeping mission in the world and yet no one feels protected by the international group. To see a murderous, amoral rebel leader be brought to trial under the eyes of the international community – this is the first prosecution carried out by the International Criminal Court in the Hague – can only give hope to the downtrodden people of the DRC. Although rightfully innocent until proven guilty, there seems to be little doubt that Lubanga is unlikely to leave custody after the trial. Finally, there is a victory for the people of the DRC on the horizon. __
