World Tour: Ugandan rebel sentenced for war crimes

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Oduah.

ONIZE ODUAH: We begin today in a Ugandan courtroom, where a mid-level commander in a notorious rebel group received a 40-year prison sentence on Friday.

In August, courts convicted Thomas Kwoyelo of war crimes, including murder, enslavement, rape, torture, and kidnap.

Here’s Ugandan Judge Michael Elubu.

MICHAEL ELUBU: For all these counts and offenses that he has been found guilty that he has now been sentenced on, it is deemed that the sentence of 40 years which was meted out to him on the charges of murder, properly reflects the overall criminality of Thomas Kwoyelo.

Friday’s sentencing marks the first domestic trial involving a senior member of the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, rebel group.

The LRA first emerged in the late 1980s as an attempt to overthrow the government. But the group also launched violence on civilians, including abductions, killings, and assaults.

Kwoyelo’s lawyers have said he will appeal the ruling, a pledge that did not sit well with LRA survivors.

Here’s Alex Ogena.

ALEX OGENA: We thought he would accept, then after serving the sentence, he would go back home and then we perform the traditional rituals in terms of reconciliation.

The International Criminal Court still has a pending warrant for LRA leader Joseph Kony.

Over in the Philippines, residents are facing another severe weather warning just days after a storm killed more than 110 people.

Tropical Storm Trami arrived last week with severe flooding and landslides. Authorities said more than half a million people fled their homes.

Raynaldo Dejucos lost his wife and five children to a landslide in the northwest.

RAYNALDO DEJUCOS: [SPEAKING TAGALOG]

He says here that he was calling out their names when he spotted his wife in the rubble. He found his youngest child in her embrace before identifying his other children.

The Philippines national weather agency says that another storm system, Tropical Storm Kong-rey, has intensified into a typhoon, and will also bring strong winds and heavy rainfall.

NAT SOUND:[ PROTESTORS]

And in Peru, transport workers chanted and marched on the streets of the capital of Lima last week over rising safety concerns. Protesters said extortion and violent attacks have increased. Transportation workers have reported that about 20 bus drivers have been killed in recent months.

Some major markets also closed down in solidarity.

Elinda Armas joined the protest.

ARMAS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

She says her son was killed for his cell phone three months ago and authorities have not made progress on his case.

Transport workers went on strike back in September to bring attention to the violence. The move prompted authorities to impose a 60-day state of emergency in parts of Lima.

But demonstrators say authorities are not doing enough. This month, a gunman pretending to deliver a document killed a teacher in front of his students.

AMBI: [PARADE SOUNDS]

And finally, the sounds of horse hooves as we wrap up at a parade in Germany’s Bavarian town of Warngau on Sunday.

Farmers marched alongside their decorated horses and carriages to celebrate Leonard, a 6th-century man who many Roman Catholics consider to be the patron saint of farmers, horses, and livestock.

The tradition is common across Bavaria and Austria. Farmers walk in a procession with their horses, receive a blessing at church, and end the day with a celebration.

That’s it for this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Oduah in Abuja, Nigeria.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.