Ugandan rebel commander to face war crimes charges

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations says a commander from a fearsome Ugandan rebel group known for abducting and torturing children has been taken into custody at the International Criminal Court, where he faces war crimes charges including murder and enslavement.

Ambassador Samantha Power says Dominic Ongwen's arrival in the early hours of Wednesday morning "is a welcome development" in the international campaign to halt more than two decades of violence by the Lord's Resistance Army, which is led by the notorious warlord Joseph Kony.

The ICC did not immediately confirm Ongwen's arrival at its detention center near the Dutch North Sea coast, two weeks after he surrendered to U.S. military personnel in the Central African Republic. Ongwen will undergo medical tests and will likely make his first court appearance within days.

Ongwen's extradition comes nearly a decade after authorities first charged him and four other top commanders with the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group. Three have since died and only top leader Joseph Kony remains at large.

"The affected communities will have the opportunity to see international justice address the horrific violence that took place in Uganda," said Sidiki Kaba, president of the ICC's governing body.

Ongwen has been accused of terrorizing civilians in Uganda and in parts of Central African Republic and Congo. For more than 25 years the LRA has terrorized central Africa with a campaign of killings, torture, kidnappings, using child soldiers and sex slaves.

Ongwen's capture and transfer to the ICC "give hope -- to the survivors, to the four countries affected by the LRA, and to their partners around the world -- that the nightmare of the LRA can be brought to an end," the State Department said in a statement. "We call on the remaining LRA members to follow the lead of the more than 250 individuals who have left the LRA since 2012 to put down their arms and return home."

After years of hiding in the remote forests of central Africa, Ongwen said it was time to face the charges against him.

"I did not want to die in the bush, so I decided to follow the right path and listen to the calling of the ICC," said Ongwen, in the Acholi language on a video taken by the Ugandan army.

Ongwen's surrender is seen as a severe blow to Kony and the LRA, who are being hunted down by the Ugandan army with help from American military advisers.

The U.S. also placed a $5 million reward for information leading to Ongwen's capture. Rebels in a remote corner of Central African Republic where he was found say they handed him over to authorities and now deserve the reward money.