Why are all defendants at the ICC Congolese?
The presence of four Congolese nationals before the ICC is a tribute to effective cooperation in executing ICC arrest warrants against them by the DRC authorities (in the case of Lubanga, Katanga and Ngudjolo) and Belgium (in the case of Jean-Pierre Bemba). One arrest warrant, against the former chief of staff of Lubanga’s UPC, Bosco Ntaganda, has not yet been executed. Ntaganda is still at large in the Kivus region in eastern Congo. He is currently a general in the Congolese army and the DRC government has said that it is not, at the moment, willing to arrest him, despite its obligation under the ICC statute to do so. The ICC has issued seven other arrest warrants in relation to its investigations in Uganda and in Darfur but these warrants have not been executed. The ICC does not have its own police force and relies on state cooperation to arrest suspects. Not all of those who have appeared before the ICC are Congolese. The ICC heard in November 2009 confirmation of charges proceeding
