\u201cThis trial is one of the many faces of the inter-ethnic conflict that is tearing our country apart. In Nd\u00e9l\u00e9, the Roungas were the self-proclaimed lords. They controlled security, customs checkpoints and public order. This power was backed by weapons, not by law,\u201d says Albert Panda, lawyer for the civil party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the prosecution, the attacks were carried out by members of the Popular Front for the Rebirth of the Central African Republic (Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique - FPRC), mainly from the Rounga community, in the context of a struggle for territorial and political control of the region. According to the special prosecutor\u2019s office, the defendants participated in the attacks of 6, 25, 26 and 27 March 2020 in Nd\u00e9l\u00e9 and its surroundings, notably in Gozbe\u00efda and Alihou. These attacks initially resulted in deaths, before provoking deadly reprisals by the Goulas. The seven men, four of whom were absent from the courtroom, are accused of persecution, murder, attempted murder, attacks against the population and destruction of property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The courage and trauma of the witnesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
From 14 February to 20 March 2025, the CPS heard testimonies from victims and community leaders, as well as statements from the three defendants present in court. During the trial, the prosecution called 28 witnesses to the stand. While some testimonies were poignant, others were less convincing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ibrahim Senoussi, the sultan-mayor of Nd\u00e9l\u00e9, who testified at the opening of the trial, claimed to recognise two of the three accused: \u201cAda\u201d and \u201cEncadreur\u201d. Senoussi specified that \u201cEncadreur\u201d was not present during the first two attacks, but was present during the third. As for \u201cAda\u201d, he was present in Nd\u00e9l\u00e9, but did not participate in the clashes. He confirmed that the conflict broke out on 6 March 2020, when the Roungas attacked the Goulas. He also stated that the FPRC headquarters was led by Assan Adam, who according to the sultan is now deceased, and that Youssouf Moustapha, alias Badjadje (prosecuted in Nd\u00e9l\u00e9 1 and tried in absentia) and Abakar Balamane (prosecuted in Nd\u00e9l\u00e9 2 but absent from the trial) were the main leaders of the Rounga attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When questioned by deputy prosecutor Alexandre Tindano about \u201cEncadreur\u201d\u2019s involvement, he replied that he had not seen him fighting, but confirmed his presence on 29 March. As for \u201cAda\u201d, although he was present, his direct involvement remains uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firmin Gremende, mayor of Mgbolopata on the outskirts of Nd\u00e9l\u00e9, did not recognise any of the defendants. However, he reported hearing heavy gunfire on 6 March 2020. He recalled that between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. that day, more than 70 people, mainly Christians, had taken refuge in his home, telling him that the Roungas had attacked the Goulas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A climate of terror<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Other witnesses described a climate of terror created by armed groups close to the FPRC, which they claimed were led by some of the accused. Chantal Adjou, the mother of one of the victims, accused \u201cAda\u201d of having arrested and killed her son. \u201cHe [her son] had refused to let my daughter marry him. Since then, \u201cAda\u201d hated us. My son was tortured to death on his orders. His body was thrown behind the gendarmerie,\u201d she said, staring the accused straight in the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isma\u00ebl Chahalna Ibrahim, representative of the Chadian embassy in Nd\u00e9l\u00e9, also described a climate of fear: \u201cThe Galandja neighbourhood was emptied, houses were burnt down, and twelve members of my community were killed.\u201d However, the witness does not know whether the defendants were directly involved in the fighting. He nevertheless confirmed that Abdramane Seleman alias \u201cAda\u201d was chief of staff before the event and that he led the mixed brigade, a local self-defence group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVague and subjective\u201d testimony<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The defence lawyers denounced the testimony as \u201cvague, subjective, emotional or politically motivated\u201d. Some witnesses called by the defence were not heard due to a lack of interpreters or logistical resources. One by one, each defendant present at the trial denied direct involvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oumar Serge Abdoulaye Assan, a young frail-looking Rounga, presented himself as a victim of war, enlisted at the age of 15. \u201cI was born in Damara, I am 22 years old. I was arrested near Abdoulaye Hissen\u2019s vehicle, which was transporting FACA [Central African Armed Forces] soldiers. I was with the driver of the vehicle, four other people fled. I never carried a weapon or wore the military uniform. I was a cook for the FPRC, I rarely went out and I know nothing about the attacks. During the fighting, I was at the FPRC base in Nd\u00e9l\u00e9. I don\u2019t know the other defendants, except by name. Abdoulaye Hissen was my boss, but I knew nothing about how the FPRC operated. I was forced to be there,\u201d he said in the dock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His defence produced a document indicating that he was born on 15 June 2004, which would make him a minor at the time of the events. \u201cA child soldier is legally a victim, not a criminal,\u201d argued Simplice Edgar Ngama, who concluded: \u201cThe benefit of the doubt goes to the accused.\u201d The prosecution was sceptical: \u201cWe have found inconsistencies in the documents. He was fully responsible at the time of the events,\u201d insisted prosecutor Alain Tolmo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abdramane Seleman, alias \u201cAda\u201d, presented himself as a former mechanic who became a \u201cComixte\u201d, meaning a local security officer within the FPRC. He claimed to have been forcibly enlisted in 2008. \u201cI was on my way to Garba to buy fish when I was forcibly enlisted in the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (Convention des patriotes pour la justice et la paix - CPJP) led by Nourredine Adam and Abdoulaye Hissen. I have never handled a weapon,\u201d he said, denying having any kind of military authority. \u201cFrom 11 to 15 March 2020, I was at Abdoulaye Hissen\u2019s house and I did not go out. I was appointed to supervise the disarmament process. I never ordered an attack,\u201d he explained. Faced with testimony accusing him of threats, torture and murder, he was astonished: \u201cI don\u2019t understand why I\u2019m here. All of this has been fabricated against me.\u201d \u201cThe CPS should look for the real culprits,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe minutes testify to your involvement,\u201d said deputy prosecutor Tindano. For Panda too, the accused had indeed fought, and he added that a military leader does not need to be on the ground to be held responsible. Ada\u2019s defence, led by Beno\u00eet Sarrassengue, insisted on procedural flaws and the violation of the principle of presumption of innocence. \u201cI was detained and tortured by my captors before being handed over to the judicial authorities. I was forced to sign documents without understanding their content before being transferred to Bangui under [UN] escort,\u201d Ada explained in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahmat Younouss, alias \u201cEncadreur\u201d, went further and even denied being the man prosecuted by the public prosecutor\u2019s office. \u201cI am Amat Abakar Issen,\u201d he says, rejecting the identity, the first and last names Ahmat Younouss, given by the accusation. \u201cThe prosecutor\u2019s office is confusing me with someone else. I was not in Nd\u00e9l\u00e9 during the events. I was in Sudan for medical treatment,\u201d he declared in court. His lawyer, Joachim Pessinam, submitted his passport, birth certificate and other identity documents in support of this argument. He pleaded a miscarriage of justice: \u201cThe court cannot convict a man on hearsay and an identification that is contested by all available civil documents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEncadreur\u201d disputes his identity, but he does not dispute his date of birth. Married to two women and father of nine children, he was born in 1986 in Nd\u00e9l\u00e9. A second-class soldier, he joined the army in 2021. He also acknowledged having been wounded by gunfire on the road from Bria to Nd\u00e9l\u00e9 at the time of the events, but while he was on his way to Ndah [located 300km northeast of Nd\u00e9l\u00e9] for medical treatment. He denied having taken part in the fighting and claimed he was unaware of the accusations against \u201chis men\u201d. He denied having held the position of deputy chief of staff but admitted to being a member of the FPRC and a former member of the CPJP, under the command of Nourredine Adam and Abdoulaye Hissen since 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the defendants\u2019 defence did not break the will of the prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deputy prosecutor Tindano accused the three men of being \u201cactive links in a criminal network\u201d. In addition to the firearms seized at their homes, the prosecution relied on reports drawn up by UNPOL, the United Nations special judicial police unit, and by the investigating magistrate\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In its closing arguments on 5 May 2025, the prosecution concluded that the seven defendants were responsible as co-perpetrators of the attacks on 6, 25, 26 and 27 March 2020. In its view, they acted in concert as part of a plan to weaken or eliminate the Goula faction in a context of inter-ethnic conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"The evidence establishes a structured and coordinated plan by the military leaders of the FPRC. The essential contribution of each of the defendants, and the direct link between the attacks and the deaths of civilians by gunshot or by fire, are beyond doubt,\u201d said deputy prosecutor Tindano. He identified two types of responsibility: direct responsibility for ordering the crimes, and command responsibility for failing to prevent or punish them. In his view, the FPRC leaders exercised effective control over their troops and took no measures to prevent or punish these crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The prosecution is therefore seeking a 10 years\u2019 imprisonment for Oumar Serge Abdoulaye, 20 years for Abdramane Seleman alias \u201cAda\u201d and Ahmat Younouss alias \u201cEncadreur\u201d, and life imprisonment for the absent defendants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And they concluded: \u201cThis trial is not perfect. None of them are. But it has shed light on mechanisms of terror that cannot go unpunished. The people are waiting for a strong signal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t Panda, in a relentless charge, declared: \"These men were the leaders of armed groups. This trial is not an accident, it is the direct consequence of impunity. Mr President, you have a historic responsibility to take strong action. That of declaring these men guilty. It would send a strong signal to other perpetrators. The Roungas were the lords of Nd\u00e9l\u00e9, controlling both security and customs checkpoints.\u201d Panda explained that it was the desire to prevent the Goulas from controlling the checkpoints that triggered this deadly conflict. \u201cIt is common knowledge that most of the defendants are FPRC officials, which makes them fully responsible as members of the chain of command. The law requires you to assess their guilt beyond reasonable doubt, Mr President. You will treat this case with all due attention, out of respect for the victims.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ngama, Abdoulaye Assan\u2019s lawyer, replied back: \u201cWe are not asking for clemency. We are demanding justice. The CPS must not convict a child by misinterpreting the law.\u201d In his view, the Court does not have jurisdiction to try his client. \u201cA child associated with armed forces or armed groups is considered first and foremost a victim and cannot be prosecuted on this basis alone.\u201d In the proceedings, Assan has three dates of birth. \u201cThis confusion constitutes a fundamental procedural flaw,\u201d concluded Ngama, who is seeking acquittal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarrassengue, Abdramane Seleman\u2019s defence lawyer, pointed to the flawed structure of the case: \u201cNo material evidence. No photos. No written orders. This trial is based on impressions, not facts.\u201d The lawyer contested the legal charges brought, considering that the facts do not constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity. He recalled his client\u2019s participation in the disarmament process and maintains that the latter never killed anyone in the course of his duties with the FRPC. He requested the acquittal of Abdramane Seleman alias \u201cAda\u201d, or failing that, his release on the basis of reasonable doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarding Ahmat Younouss alias \u201cEncadreur\u201d, Pessinam argued: \u201cMy client is illiterate. He does not know how to read or write. He cannot be accused of having a structured plan to kill. This trial must shed light on the matter, not sacrifice innocent people to set an example.\u201d The lawyer cast doubt on the prosecution\u2019s evidence, which he considered vague, contradictory or unreliable; he pointed out that out of 28 witnesses, 22 do not recognise his client. In his view, only three pieces of prosecution evidence are admissible, two of which do not directly relate to the events. Pessinam concluded by requesting the acquittal of his client on the grounds of an obvious error of identity and lack of evidence of guilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy Antoine Dangavo, defence counsel for the absent defendants, reviewed the charges against them, emphasising the lack of concrete evidence against them. He criticised the lack of information on the identity, role and functions of each defendant within the FPRC and the prosecution\u2019s inability to establish the defendants\u2019 active participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He reiterated that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. He questioned the relevance and reliability of the evidence in the case file, warning against life sentences based on evidence deemed insufficient. In conclusion, he requested the acquittal of the defendants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ND\u00c9L\u00c9 1: 15 TO 20 YEARS\u2019 IMPRISONMENT <\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Members](\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Centrafrique_Cour-penale-speciale-parquet_@CPS.jpg\")
\u201cI have never handled a weapon\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was in Sudan for medical treatment\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis trial is not perfect, none of them are\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA strong signal to other perpetrators\u201d <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Nd\u00e9l\u00e9](\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Centrafrique_4-accuses-cour-penale-speciale_@CPS-540x360.jpg\")
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