Maxime Mokom
Minister of Disarmament
In office
2018–2020
Leader of Anti-balaka (Mokom branch)
In office
December 2013 – March 2022
Succeeded byBernard Bonda
Personal details
Born (1978-12-30) 30 December 1978 (age 45)
Bangui
NationalityCentral African Republic

Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka is a former minister of disarmament in the Central African Republic, and leader of Anti-balaka, who was arrested in 2022 and charged with war crimes.

Life

Mokom was born on 30 December 1978. In 2013, he was one of the co-founders of militant movement Anti-balaka. From 2013 to 2014 he committed multiples war crimes. On 10 December 2018 he was publicly indicted by International Criminal Court for murder, extermination, deportation or forcible transfer and displacement of civilian population, imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, persecution, enforced disappearance of persons, mutilation, intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population, intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, pillaging, enlistment of children under the age of 15 years and destruction of the adversary’s property.[1]

On 15 December 2020 he joined Coalition of Patriots for Change led by former president François Bozizé.[2] He ordered Anti-balaka fighters to attack Bangui in January 2021.[3] In July 2021 he fled to N'Djamena in Chad.[4] On 14 March 2022 he was surrendered to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by Chadian authorities and transferred to The Hague.[5]

On 21 September 2023, the Bangui Court of Appeal sentenced Mokom, alongside Bozizé, his sons Jean-Francis and Aimé-Vincent, and other rebel leaders, to life imprisonment in absentia.[6]

On 19 October 2023, the ICC announced the release of Mokom due to the dropping of charges by the prosecution, justified by the unavailability of witnesses. Mokom was accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in 2013 and 2014 in the Central African Republic (CAR).[7]

Family

He is an older brother of Aaron Wilibona[8] and allegedly a nephew of former president François Bozizé.[9]

References

  1. ^ Public Redacted Version of ‘Warrant of Arrest for Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka’ (ICC-01/14-01/22-2-US-Exp)
  2. ^ "Centrafrique : la Déclaration des Groupes armés qui sonne le glas du régime de Bangui". 17 December 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Letter dated 25 June 2021 from the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic extended pursuant to resolution 2536 (2020) addressed to the President of the Security Council" (PDF). reliefweb.int.
  4. ^ François Bozizé et d'autres chefs rebelles centrafricains se trouvent à Ndjamena, 7 November 2021
  5. ^ Chad/CAR: Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka must face justice at the ICC, 15 March 2022
  6. ^ "Centrafrique: l'ex-président François Bozizé et des chefs rebelles condamnés à perpétuité par contumace". Radio France Internationale (in French). 22 September 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  7. ^ RFI - Afrique L'ex-chef de milice centrafricain Maxime Mokom libéré après l'abandon des charges par la CPI, 19 October 2023
  8. ^ Procès — Témoin CAR-OTP-P-2232
  9. ^ Maxime Mokom: the man from the Central African Republic on trial at the ICC, 8 May 2022
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