THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court says a commander in a Central African Republic militia has been arrested and turned over to the court to face charges that include murder and torture.
The court said Central African Republic authorities surrendered Alfred Yekatom on Saturday. Court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah would not immediately say if Yekatom had been sent to the court's headquarters in The Hague.
The Central African Republic has been plagued by deadly interreligious and intercommunal fighting since 2013, when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in the capital and mainly Christian anti-Balaka militias fought back. The violence left thousands of people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
The court alleges that Yekatom commanded some 3,000 anti-Balaka fighters responsible for atrocities committed between December 2013 and August 2014.
Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.
