The Accused

Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo: Leader of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC); Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from July 2003 to December 2006.

Judges of Trial Chamber III

• Sylvia Steiner (Presiding)
• Kuniko Ozaki
• Joyce Aluoch

The Prosecution

• Luis Moreno-Ocampo: Prosecutor
• Fatou Bensouda: Deputy Prosecutor
• Petra Kneur: Senior Trial Lawyer
• Jean-Jacques Badibanga: Trial Lawyer
• Massimo Scaliotti: Trial Lawyer
• Ibrahim Yillah: Trial Lawyer
• Eric Iverson: Trial Lawyer
• Thomas Bifwoli: Associate Trial Lawyer
• Hesham Mourad: Associate Trial Lawyer
• Bärbel Carl: Associate Trial Lawyer
• Horejah Bala-Gaye: Assistant Trial Lawyer

The Defense

• Aime Kilolo-Musamba
• Nick Kaufman
• Peter Haynes

Legal Representatives of the Victims

• Marie-Edith Douzima-Lawson
• Assingambi Zarambaud
• Paolina Massidda (Office of Public Counsel for Victims)

Registry

• Silvana Arbia, Registrar
• Didier Preira, Deputy Registrar
• Maria Luisa Martinod-Jacome, Victims and Witnesses Unit
• Fiona McKay, Victims Participation and Reparations Section
• Esteban Peralta Losilla, Defense Support Section

Key groups and organizations that could be referred to during the trial

• APRD (Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy): A rebel group active in the north since 2005, initially consisting of past members of former President Patassé’s presidential guard and led by Malian national Florian Ndjadder. Former Defense Minister Jean-Jacques Demafouth became its political leader in 2008, operating from exile in France.
• Banyamulenge: Ethnic Tutsi concentrated in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the CAR, “Banyamulenge” is also frequently used ot refer to Jean-Pierre Bemba’s MLC militia (see below).
• BINUCA (UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic): A follow-on mission to BONUCA (see below).
• BONUCA (UN Peacebuilding Support Office in the Central African Republic): UN office active from February 2000 to January 2010 with a mandate to provide the government with political advice.
• CEMAC: Central African Economic and Monetary Community
• CEN-SAD (Community of Saharan-Sahel States): An international organization of 21 states founded with strong Libyan backing in February 1998.
• CPJP (Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace): A rebel group that emerged in 2008.
• ECCAS: Economic Community of Central African States
• EUFOR (European Union Force in Chad and the Central African Republic): A European peacekeeping force of 3,700 troops, active from March 2008 to March 2009.
• FACA: Forces Armées Centrafricaines. The armed forces of the Central African Republic (CAR), established after independence in 1960.
• FDPC (Democratic Front for the People of the Central African Republic): A militia active in northern CAR since 2005, led by Colonel Abdoulaye Miskine.
• FOMUC (Multinational Force in the Central African Republic): Name of a security force for then-President Patassé, made up of 350 soldiers from three African countries. It received its mandate from CEMAC.
• KNK (Kwan Na Kwa): President Bozizé’s political party. In the Sango language, the name means “Work, Nothing but Work”.
• MICOPAX (Mission for the Consolidation of Peace in the CAR): Small peacekeeping and support mission of the ECCAS with 500 personnel from five African countries deployed since July 2008.
• MINURCA (United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic): Deployed from April 1998 to February 2000 with a mandate for peacekeeping in and around Bangui, supervision and monitoring of disarmament, assistance in capacity building, and support of presidential elections.
• MINURCAT (United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad): Police training and judicial reform mission launched in September 2007. A military component was added in March 2008, so that MINURCAT would be able to take over the work of EUFOR after its withdrawal.
• MISAB (Observer Mission for the Bangui Accords): A small inter-African mission deployed in CAR following the 1997 Bangui Agreements.
• MLC: Movement for the Liberation of the Congo. Founded in 1998 by Jean-Pierre Bemba, this rebel group turned political party is based out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). With Ugandan support, the MLC fought the DRC government during the Second Congo War. Shortly thereafter it took part in the transitional government and is currently the main opposition to the sitting government.
• MLCJ (Movement of Central African Liberators for Justice): A rebel militia that broke away from the UFDR in August 2008, led by Abakar Sobone.
• MLPC (Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People): The political party of former President Ange-Félix Patassé. Currently led by 2005 presidential candidate Martin Ziguélé.
• MNSP (National Movement for Salvation of the Homeland): A rebel militia that split away from the MLCJ in May 2009 and is led by Hassan Ousman.
• UFDR (Union of Democratic Forces): A rebel group operating in northern CAR since November 2006, near the border with Sudan. Its members are largely of Gula ethnicity. It is led by Zacharia Damane. President Bozizé has accused the government of Sudan of backing the UFDR.
• USP (United Presidential Security): The CAR presidential guard, which is formally called the Protection and Security of Institutions Battalion (BPSI).

Key Individuals Referred to During Bemba’s Trial

• Bokassa, Jean-Bedel: President of CAR from 1966-1979. He declared himself emperor in 1974.
• Bozizé, François: Current president of the Central African Republic. Assumed power in 2003 after leading a rebellion against former president Ange-Félix Patassé.
• Dacko, David: French-backed first president of CAR from 1960 to 1965. He was toppled in a coup launched by his cousin, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, on New Year’s Eve 1965. Dacko returned to power through a French-supported coup in 1979. In turn, in 1981, Army Chief of Staff André Kolingba toppled Dacko in a bloodless coup.
• Demafouth, Jean-Jacques: Defense Minister under President Patassé until Patassé accused him of complicity in a 2001 coup attempt. Since 2008, political head of the APRD rebel militia. Resides in France.
• Kabila, Joseph: Current president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the son of Laurent Kabila. Joseph Kabila defeated Jean-Pierre Bemba in 2006 presidential elections in the DRC, the outcome of which Bemba disputed.
• Kabila, Laurent: Former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, assassinated in 2001. Father of Joseph Kabila.
• Kolingba, André: President of the CAR from the time he toppled David Dacko in a coup in 1981 until he lost elections to Ange-Félix Patassé in 1993. Kolingba failed with a May 2001 coup attempt against Patassé.
• Koumtamadji, Martin (a.k.a. Colonel Abdoulaye Miskine): a Chadian national who since 2005 has led the Libyan-backed Democratic Front for the People of the Central African Republic (FDPC). Served as an aide to former President Patassé from 1993-2003. Patassé placed Koumatamadji in charge of a special unit outside the army to fight coup attempts by François Bozizé in 2002 and 2003.
• Miskine, Abdoulaye: see Koumtamadji, Martin.
• Patassé, Ange-Félix: President of CAR from his victory in 1993 elections. He was re-elected in 1999, but deposed in a 2003 coup led by François Bozizé. While in power, Patassé invited Jean-Pierre Bemba’s MLC into CAR.
• Ziguélé, Martin: Served as prime minister under President Patassé from April 2001 until March 2003.

Geographical terms referred to in the trial

• Bangui: The capital of the Central African Republic and a location in which the Prosecutor claims some of Bemba’s alleged crimes were committed.
• Bossongoa: A town in northwestern CAR that is the capital of Ouham prefecture, and a location in which the Prosecutor claims that some of Bemba’s crimes took place.
• Boy-Rabé: A neighborhood in Bangui, and one of the specific locations where the Prosecutor claims that some of Bemba’s alleged crimes took place.
• Combattant: A suburb of Bangui.
• Mongoumba: A town along the DRC border near Bangui, and one of the locations where the Prosecutor claims that some of Bemba’s alleged crimes took place.
• Oubangúi: The river that runs through Bangui and forms part of CAR’s border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• PK12 (Point Kilomètre 12): A suburb of Bangui where the Prosecutor claims some of Bemba’s alleged crimes took place.
• PK 22 (Point Kilomètre 22): A town near Bangui and one of the locations where the Prosecutor claims that some of Bemba’s alleged crimes took place.