The United States on Friday welcomed the removal of Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda from Rwanda to face war-crime charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, Netherlands. "This is an important moment for all who believe in justice and accountability," Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement released by the State Department. "For nearly seven years, Ntaganda was a fugitive from justice, evading accountability for alleged violations of international humanitarian law and mass atrocities against innocent civilians, including rape, murder, and the forced recruitment of thousands of Congolese children as soldiers. Now there is hope that justice will be done," Kerry wrote. "Ultimately, peace and stability in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and the Great Lakes will require the restoration of civil order, justice, and accountability," and the appearance of Ntaganda before the ICC "will contribute to that goal, and will also send a strong message to all perpetrators of atrocities that they will be held accountable for their crimes," Kerry said.
