Warlord jailed for recruiting child soldiers

Thomas Lubanga was convicted in March of recruiting and using children in his Union of Congolese Patriots militia during fighting in Congo’s eastern Ituri region in 2002-2003.

The 51-year-old is the first person convicted by the 10-year-old permanent war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.

Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence, but said they would be willing to cut it to 20 years if Lubanga offered a “genuine apology” to victims of his crimes, but he showed no emotion as Judge Adrian Fulford read the sentence.