Thomas Lubanga Dyilo , who was leader of the UPC , a group which operated in the Ituri region in the Northeast of the DRC , was indicted by the ICC in 2006 on three counts of war crimes , recruitment , conscription , and the use of children under 15 in combat . According to Michael Bochenek , who is the director of Amnesty International 's International Law and Policy Program , the " verdict will give pause to those around the world who commit the horrific crime of using and abusing children both on and off the battlefield " Luis Moreno Ocampo has said that the Lubanga was " only the start of cases linked to the years of militia violence in Ituri which has killed thousands and produced more than 600,000 refugees . " Germain Katanga former leader of the Front for Patriotic Resistance of Ituri ( FRPI ) , and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui were indicted on seven counts of war crimes , and three counts of crimes against humanity in 2008 , which included the use of children under 15 years of age being used in combat , by the pre trial chamber of the ICC . Katanga was convicted of having taken part in the Bogoro massacre on 24 February 2003 . He was cleared of sexual offenses and the use of child soldiers
Bogoro massacre
Bogoro massacre
Child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo