The Warlord They Called 'THE TERMINATOR'

It was Monday morning, March 18th, 2013. Just after 7:30 a.m., in Kigali, Rwanda. Outside the United States embassy, one of the most heavily guarded compounds in the country, a man walked calmly toward the main gate. He wasn’t running. He wasn’t hiding. He wasn’t surrounded by bodyguards. He was alone. Now here is the thing: he wore military fatigues, but he was unarmed. No disguise. No attempt to blend in. In broad daylight, he walked straight up to the guards and asked to be let in. That man was Bosco Ntaganda. You see, for years he had been known by a single nickname: “The Terminator.” At that point, Ntaganda had been wanted by the International Criminal Court for seven years. There had been an active arrest warrant since 2006, accusing him of eighteen counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, the use of child soldiers, and sexual slavery. He wasn’t there to ask for asylum. He wasn’t there to negotiate protection. He told the guards he wanted to be transferred to The Hague, to face the ICC. Until very recently, Ntaganda had been living openly and comfortably. He had been a general in the Congolese army, protected by the state. He ran businesses, stayed in luxury hotels, and moved with total impunity. He had built a powerful, wealthy life on fear. And yet, without a shot fired, without a chase, one of Africa’s most feared warlords simply walked in and surrendered. Why would a man like that choose a guaranteed conviction and decades in prison? That’s the story we’re going to unpack. Sources: https://enoughproject.org/files/Bosco... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa... https://www.opensanctions.org/entitie... https://www.motherjones.com/politics/... https://www.theguardian.com/world/201... Music: Epidemic Sound Alone - Emit Fenn #M23 #CONGO