Former Congolese rebel leader, Jean-Pierre Bemba, has been found guilty of war crimes in a landmark trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Bemba, 53, was accused of failing to stop his rebels from killing and raping people in neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002 and 2003.
He had sent more than 1,000 fighters to help put down an attempted coup, according to BBC.
Bemba was vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The court in The Hague found him guilty of several charges including rape and murder. He is expected to appeal.
It is the first time the ICC has focused on rape as a weapon of war, and the first time a suspect has been convicted over crimes committed by others under his command.
Analysis:
The fact that Bemba was convicted for sexual violence is significant. Many Congolese suspects have been accused of such crimes, but this is the first guilty verdict.
His conviction was for crimes committed in the Central African Republic, but it will send the message to high-ranking soldiers and militiamen in DR Congo, where sexual violence is rife, that they are responsible for preventing it.
But in Congo, despite his murky record, Jean-Pierre Bemba still enjoys significant popularity.
Members of his opposition party had hoped he would be released in time to run in the next presidential election, which is scheduled for the end of this year.
Welcoming the verdict, ICC Chief Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said: “While the reality of the crimes is appalling, the significance of this decision is to be celebrated.
“What this decision affirms is that commanders are responsible for the acts of the forces under their control.”
Carrie Comer, from the International Federation for Human Rights, said the verdict was “a historic moment for victims of such unspeakable atrocities”.
It was “a strong message from ICC judges that commanders must prevent and punish war crimes,” she wrote on Twitter.
It is alleged that for a period of five months Bemba’s Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) rebel fighters killed hundred of civilians, raped women and looted.
The court heard horrific accounts, including how a man, his wife, his daughters and his granddaughter were all gang-raped by militiamen.
