Congolese ex-rebel leader
Jean-Pierre Bemba has been jailed for 18 years following a landmark
conviction at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and
sexual violence.
Bemba, a former vice-president of DR Congo, was
convicted in March of crimes committed in the neighbouring Central
African Republic (CAR) in 2002-2003.He was accused of failing to stop his rebels from killing and raping people.
Bemba's lawyers have already said they will appeal against his conviction.
Judges announced sentences of between 16 and 18 years for five counts of rape, murder and pillaging, with the jail terms running concurrently. The eight years Bemba has already spent in custody will be deducted from his term
Who is Jean-Pierre Bemba?
- A well-connected businessman and the son of prominent Congolese businessman Bemba Saolona
- 1998: Helped by Uganda to form MLC rebel group in Democratic Republic of Congo
- 2003: Becomes vice-president under peace deal
- 2006: Loses run-off election to President Joseph Kabila but gets most votes in western DR Congo, including Kinshasa
- 2007: Flees to Belgium after clashes in Kinshasa
- 2008: Arrested in Brussels and handed over to ICC
- 2010: Trial begins
- 2016: Found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity