The Hague, 21 Ja - (ANA) - Top Ugandan rebel commander Dominic Ongwen has arrived in The Hague to stand trial on war crimes charges. Mr Ongwen, a feared commander of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), was taken into custody at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on arrival. He was arrested in the Central African Republic (CAR) earlier this month. His trial will be the first time that a member of the LRA, led by the notorious warlord Joseph Kony, has faced international justice. Uganda agreed that he should be tried by the ICC despite being a fierce critic of The Hague-based court. US and African forces had been searching for Mr Ongwen since 2011. He is said to be the deputy to LRA commander Joseph Kony, who is still on the run. The ICC said in a statement that Mr Ongwen will be held in a detention centre in the Netherlands until his trial. He will undergo a medical visit and a date will soon be set for his first court appearance, the statement added. The UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon both issued statements welcoming Mr Ongwen's transfer. Mr Ban called it "a step forward in efforts to bring justice to the thousands of victims of LRA violence". (ANA)

FA/ANA/21 January 2015-----------