( CNN ) -- It 's been a very swift turn of events . Until a few days ago Bosco Ntaganda , wanted for war crimes and for crimes against humanity , was at large . Then , in a surprising move , the Congolese Army general and ex-rebel leader turned himself in at the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda after spending the past few months in hiding in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ) . For over six years , Ntaganda has been sought as a suspect for crimes under international law that include murder , rape and the use of child soldiers . On Tuesday he was in front of the judge at the International Criminal Court . Some of us at Amnesty International who work on the DRC were in The Hague to see the proceedings get under way . We arrived at the courtroom early . Ntaganda sat before the presiding judge of Pre-Trial Chamber II , accompanied by his defense counsel , which is being led by Hassane Bel-Lakhdar . ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda was across the courtroom . The public gallery 's 170 places were soon packed with members of the diplomatic corps , the press , representatives from several other NGOs , and various units of the court . We sat between representatives of the prosecution and the defense , following the trilingual hearing via simultaneous translation . Presiding Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova led the hearing in English , the defense counsel answered in French and Ntaganda replied in Kinyarwanda . The judge asked Ntaganda to confirm his identity , occupation and that he had been informed of the charges against him , as well as his rights as a defendant . `` Yes , I have been informed , '' Ntaganda stated quietly . He affirmed he was born in Rwanda in 1973 and that he was a member of the military before his transfer to The Hague . From leader of an armed group to a general in the Congolese army , Ntaganda has appeared in eastern DRC in various incarnations over the years . He is famously known for wining and dining in restaurants frequented by United Nations staffers and international journalists . Despite an existing ICC arrest warrant , Ntaganda was promoted within the army in 2009 . Ntaganda was first named in an arrest warrant by the ICC more than six years ago . He faces charges for 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for crimes allegedly committed in DRC 's Ituri Province between 2002 and 2003 . But his decision to turn himself in on March 18 , and the exact reasons behind his `` self-referral , '' remain unclear . Though neither the United States nor Rwanda are parties to the Rome Statute , which established the ICC , Amnesty International welcomes both states ' cooperation with the court in ensuring Ntaganda 's transfer to The Hague . In April 2012 , following mounting pressure from the Congolese authorities to arrest him , Ntaganda allegedly led a mutiny and created the M23 armed group . We have documented numerous human rights abuses by M23 fighters between March and September 2012 , including unlawful killings , forced recruitment of children and rape . This first court appearance of Ntaganda hopefully provides a glimmer of hope for victims who have long awaited an opportunity for justice for crimes committed in Ituri in 2002 and 2003 . In court , Ntaganda stated he did not believe the allegations against him . Before he could go any further , Judge Trendafilova politely interrupted him to state that this hearing was not meant to address questions of innocence or guilt , but was an initial appearance before the court . In his closing remarks , defence lawyer Bel-Lakhdar said he planned to request provisional release for his client , pending trial . Ntaganda will join Thomas Lubanga in prison , who was his former commander in the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo ( FPLC ) before Ntaganda went on to create M23 . Lubanga is currently serving a 14 year sentence after being convicted by the ICC last year . Ntaganda 's initial hearing marked the beginning of what may become a long process -- the next hearing is scheduled for September 23 , when it will be determined whether or not the case will proceed to trial . It is , however , just one step towards bringing justice to victims and building sustained security in eastern DRC . Ultimately , it remains the responsibility of the Congolese authorities to bring all suspected perpetrators of crimes against international human rights and humanitarian law to trial . The DRC government must fulfill the promise made by Congolese Minister of Information Lambert Mende to fully cooperate with the ICC during its investigations into crimes committed in North Kivu . They must also commit to apprehending Sylvestre Mudacumura , the military commander of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda ( FDLR ) , who has faced an ICC arrest warrant since July 2012 . However , the alleged crimes of these two individuals represent only a fraction of the human rights abuses committed in eastern DRC over the past two decades . It is up to the Congolese authorities to urgently rebuild the national justice system to ensure that justice and reparation are available for all victims , instead of relying solely on the ICC .
Congolese general Bosco Ntaganda appears at ICC for first hearing . Ntaganda surprised world by turning himself in at U.S. Embassy in Rwanda on March 18 . ICC issued an arrest warrant for Ntaganda in 2006 for his alleged role in crimes . Congolese government called in April 2012 for Ntaganda 's arrest for war crimes .