( CNN ) -- Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo , a former politician and militia leader , went on trial Monday in The Hague , Netherlands , accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder , rape and pillaging . `` Jean-Pierre Bemba used an entire army as a weapon to rape , pillage and kill civilians the Central African Republic , '' International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said as the long-awaited trial began . `` Today , he is brought to account for deliberately failing to prevent , repress or punish mass atrocities committed by his men '' in the central African nation , he said . Bemba , a former vice president in the Democratic Republic of Congo , is accused of leading his militia in attacks on civilians in the Central African Republic for almost five months , according to the International Federation for Human Rights . Under his leadership , his Movement for the Liberation of Congo ( MLC ) allegedly murdered , raped and pillaged in the neighboring country between October 2002 and March 2003 , the court said . His defense team says the Central African Republic 's government was accountable for the actions of the MLC . Bemba sat with his arms folded across his chest as proceedings began , his chin slightly raised . His lawyer confirmed that Bemba understood the charges against him and his rights in court , including the right to remain silent or to enter a plea . Last month , the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) turned down an appeal by Bemba and cleared the way for the trial . Bemba 's defense had challenged his case 's admissibility on the grounds that the Central African Republic -- the country the alleged crimes occurred in -- investigated the case and made a `` decision not to prosecute . '' The ICC decided that the Central African Republic 's action does not prohibit the case from being tried . The British Foreign Office welcomed the beginning of the trial . `` I am pleased that the very serious allegations against Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo will be fully investigated in an independent and fair trial , '' Henry Bellingham , the British minister for Africa , said in a statement . `` I also welcome the role that the victims of the crimes committed in Central African Republic will be able to play in the trial proceedings , '' he said .
NEW : Jean - Pierre Bemba used his ` ` to rape , pillage and kill civilians , '' prosecutors say . Court : His defense says he was not responsible . The court has rejected an appeal by prosecutors . He is accused of leading his militia in attacks on civilians in the capital for almost five months .