THE HAGUE: International war crimes judges on Friday awarded $10 million in landmark reparations to “hundreds or thousands” of former child soldiers left brutalised and stigmatised after being conscripted into a ruthless Congolese militia.

Warlord Thomas Lubanga, 56, was jailed for 14 years after being convicted in 2012 at the International Criminal Court (ICC) of abducting boys and girls and press-ganging them into his Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) in the eastern Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The judges said on Friday that Lubanga, who is serving his sentence in a Congolese prison, was also liable for compensation to 425 victims, identified by the court. At the time of the crimes in 2002-2003, all were under 15.

They stressed, though, that it was difficult to determine the exact number of child soldiers drawn into Lubanga’s militia -- many of whom were exploited as bodyguards or sex slaves -- saying there were “hundreds or even thousands of additional victims.”

Each of the 425 named victims had suffered harm amounting to $8,000, giving a total of $3.4 million, presiding judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut said.

But in a surprise move, the judges then awarded a further $6.6 million to help any others who may now come forward.

The award is collective, and will be used in projects to help victims rebuild their lives and integrate back into society.

Local rights groups welcomed the award, saying it was a relief for victims, many of whom are now in their 30s with children of their own.

“What is important to us, is not the amount attached to this award. The main thing is that it has been recognised that there are victims in this case,” said Xavier Maki from the Justice Plus group.

The award, equivalent to 8.5 million euros, will be administered by the independent Trust Fund for Victims, which has already drawn up a three-year project to help Lubanga’s victims, and set aside a million euros for the case.

Fund director Pieter de Baan said the $10 million award was a victory for the victims.

“It is really important that this is an acknowledgement that if harm is suffered on a mass scale by victims, you need to take it seriously, you need to recognise that and you need to put an amount to it,” he said.

Agence France-Presse