war crimes convictions for Rwandan mayor and Congolese soldiers
A UN court has sentenced a former Rwandan mayor to 15 years in prison for his role in the deaths of 1,000 people during the 1994 genocide. The International Criminal Tribunal accepted a plea bargain after the mayor of Gikoro, Paul Bisengimana pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and extermination. A further eight charges against him were dropped. Around 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered during the
genocide.  Mr Bisengimana was involved in the slaughter of Tutsis who had sought refuge in a church.
The UN has welcomed the sentencing of seven army soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity stemming from widespread rape. Five other accused were acquitted by the Military Garrison Court in Songo Mboyo in northern DRC, for lack of evidence. The men were members of an Armed Forces of the DR Congo (FARDC) battalion, who came from the ex-Liberation Movement of Congo (MLC), in 2003. Those found guilty were involved in the collective raping of at least 119 women and girls, many younger than 18. United Nations officials have called for further investigations to help prosecute other military personnel who may be implicated.
