Congolese Warlord Thomas Lubanga Sentenced to 14 Years in Jail

MICHAEL KOOREN/AFP/Getty Images(THE HAGUE, Netherlands) -- The International Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga to 14 years behind bars for recruiting child soldiers to fight for his militia.

Lubanga, the former head of the Union of Congolese Patriots, was found guilty in March of using children between 2002 and 2003 to fight for his group and maintain control of the Ituri region in northeastern Congo.  The 51-year-old became the first person ever to be convicted by the ICC.

The conflict between ethnic groups in the region is estimated to have claimed 60,000 lives, reports the BBC.

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