Maxime Mokom Explained

Birth Date:	1978 12, df=y
Birth Place:	Bangui
Nationality:	Central African Republic
Order2:	Minister of Disarmament
Term Start2:	2018
Term End2:	2020
Order3:	Leader of Anti-balaka (Mokom branch)
Term Start3:	December 2013
Term End3:	March 2022
Successor3:	Bernard Bonda

Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka (born 30 December 1978) 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.

Biography

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 multiple 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 age 15 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.^[7]

Family

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

Notes and References

1. https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/CourtRecords/CR2022_02267.PDF Public Redacted Version of ‘Warrant of Arrest for Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka’ (ICC-01/14-01/22-2-US-Exp)
2. Web site: Centrafrique : la Déclaration des Groupes armés qui sonne le glas du régime de Bangui. 17 December 2020. 17 January 2021. 22 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210122053311/https://letsunami.net/centrafrique-la-declaration-des-groupes-armes-qui-sonne-le-glas-du-regime-de-bangui/. live.
3. Web site: 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. reliefweb.int.
4. https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20211106-françois-bozizé-et-d-autres-chefs-rebelles-centrafricains-se-trouvent-à-ndjamena François Bozizé et d'autres chefs rebelles centrafricains se trouvent à Ndjamena
5. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/03/chad-car-maxime-jeoffroy-eli-mokom-gawaka-must-face-justice-at-the-icc/ Chad/CAR: Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka must face justice at the ICC
6. Web site: 22 September 2023 . Centrafrique: l'ex-président François Bozizé et des chefs rebelles condamnés à perpétuité par contumace . 28 October 2023 . . fr.
7. https://www.rfi.fr/fr/en-bref/20231019-centrafrique-le-procureur-de-la-cour-p%C3%A9nale-internationale-cpi-retire-les-charges-%C3%A0-l-encontre-d-un-ex-chef-de-milice-anti-balaka-maxime-mokom RFI - Afrique L'ex-chef de milice centrafricain Maxime Mokom libéré après l'abandon des charges par la CPI
8. https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/Transcripts/CR2021_11494.PDF Procès — Témoin CAR-OTP-P-2232
9. https://theconversation.com/maxime-mokom-the-man-from-the-central-african-republic-on-trial-at-the-icc-182453 Maxime Mokom: the man from the Central African Republic on trial at the ICC