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A UN-backed court in the Central African Republic began proceedings on Tuesday in the trial in absentia of former president François Bozizé over alleged crimes against humanity committed between 2009 and 2013.
The case, being heard by the Special Criminal Court (SCC) in the capital Bangui, focuses on allegations that members of Bozizé’s security forces were responsible for murder, torture, enforced disappearances and rape during his time in office and in the period surrounding his rule.
Bozizé, 79, who came to power through a 2003 coup before being ousted a decade later by rebel forces, has been living in exile in Guinea-Bissau since March 2023.
Despite his absence, proceedings have continued, with three of his former senior military officers, Eugène Barret Ngaikosset, Vianney Semndiro and Firmin Junior Danboy, currently held in pre-trial detention in the country.
In February 2024, the SCC issued an international arrest warrant for Bozizé after investigators linked him to alleged crimes committed by his Presidential Guard in a civilian prison and a military training centre in Bossembele.
Judges said there was “serious and consistent evidence against (Bozizé), likely to incur his criminal liability, in his capacity as hierarchical superior and military leader.”
The SCC, a hybrid court composed of Central African and international judges, is mandated to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since 2003, a period marked by repeated conflict and instability in the country.
Bozizé’s overthrow in 2013 by the Seleka rebel coalition triggered a wider civil war. In response, he later backed anti-Balaka militias, predominantly Christian and animist groups, in efforts to regain power. The violence that followed left thousands of civilians dead, with both sides accused by the United Nations of serious atrocities.
After a failed political comeback in 2020, when he supported the Coalition of Patriots for Change against President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, Bozizé fled into exile, first in Chad and later Guinea-Bissau.
He was previously sentenced in absentia in September 2022 to life with forced labour for conspiracy, rebellion and murder.
