Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was born in 1960 in Jiba, Djugu, a territory of Ituri in Orientale Province of DRC. He belongs to the Hema ethnic group. He studied at the University of Kisangani, where he obtained a degree in Psychology. Thomas Lubanga entered politics in late 1999, and soon thereafter, he was elected to the Ituri District Assembly.
On 15 September 2000, Thomas Lubanga signed the statutes of the Union des Patriots Congolais (UPC). As first signatory, he led the party and its armed military wing, the Forces Patriotiques pour la Libération du Congo (FPLC). In August 2002, the UPC took control of Bunia, the capital of Ituri. In the same year, Thomas Lubanga was appointed President and Commander in Chief of the movement.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC charges Thomas Lubanga Dyilo under articles 8 (2)(e)(vii) and 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute with the war crimes of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into his armed group and using them to participate actively in hostilities.
The Prosecution submitted that Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is criminally responsible for the crimes listed as co-perpetrator, jointly with other FPLC officers and UPC members and supporters.
Source: ICC Decision on Confirmation of Charges, 29 January 2007. Picture of Thomas Lubanga in court (c) ICC-CPI; Map of Ituri, DRC (c) ICC-CPI
