Revisiting the prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen : towards a possible complementarity between traditional justice and the international criminal court?

Abstract

Northern Uganda experienced a conflict that lasted for 20 years. The Government referred the matter to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II unsealed five warrants of arrest against the commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army including Dominic Ongwen. Ongwen surrendered and was transferred to the ICC where he was tried and convicted for 25 years. During the trial, the Defence submitted that the ICC should consider traditional justice while trying Ongwen. However, the ICC rejected the use of traditional justice. This research therefore explored how the ICC can integrate traditional justice during trials in the Court.