Notorious Congolese rebel leader General Bosco Ntaganda, known as 'The Terminator', has told the International Criminal Court that he never attacked civilians, during his trial at The Hague.
"I have been described as 'The Terminator', as an infamous killer, but that is not me,'' Gen Ntaganda said on the second day of his trial, the Associated Press news agency reports.
"I have never attacked civilians,'' he claimed during a nine-minute speech to the court. "I have always protected them.''
Sarah Pellet, a lawyer representing 297 former child soldiers, said young girls were gang-raped and forced to become the 'wives' of senior commanders.
"They are victims of rape and sexual violence and some of them gave birth to other victims: Children who will never know their fathers and who are a constant reminder of the reprehensible acts inflicted on their mothers,'' she told the court, AP reports.
Mr Ntaganda faces 18 charges, 13 on war crimes and 5 on crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, sexual slavery of civilians, displacement of civilians, forcible transfer of population, and the enlistment and conscription of child soldiers under the age of fifteen years and using them to participate actively in hostilities.
ICC trial: ‘Terminator’ pleads not guilty (02 September 2015)
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