5 most brutal and ruthless warlords in Africa

For these warlords, violence is the means to the end. Hence, they committed some of the worst atrocities and human rights abuses of our time.

In 2012, Joseph Kony became one of the most notorious men in the world, but he’s only one of many horrific warlords to have plagued the continent.

1. Joshua Blahyi

Joshua Blahyi or General Butt Naked was once a commander of the forces under the Liberian rebel leader Roosevelt Johnson.

He is known for his role of violence during the first Liberian Civil War in the early 1990s and has admitted he was responsible for more than 20,000 deaths.

Blahyi led many intoxicated young boys into battles fighting naked or dressed in women's clothes. This is war style belief that it made them invincible. After the war, he became a Christian preacher.

2. Jean Kambanda

Jean Kambanda became Prime Minister of the caretaker government of Rwanda two days after the assassination of the President.

He was held to be criminally responsible after it was found that he did not intervene to stop the genocide that took place.

He has been proven guilty of being responsible for giving out weapons and ammunition to people during the 1993/94 Rwanda Genocide. However, he denied the knowledge of their intended use in a genocide which leaves him with the blood of some 800 000 people on his hands.

3. Joseph Kony

Joseph Kony formed a group called Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. He was accused for being responsible for recruiting child soldiers with at least 60,000 children abducted.

Accordinng to the reports, his military campaign led to killing of 1000 people per week. As a result, he was accused of ethnic cleansing and war against humanity in Uganda.

4. Thomas Lubanga

Thomas Lubanga is the first person to ever be convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC)as a war criminal. He was a warlord in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) where he founded and led the Union of Congolese Patriots.

He was a key player in the Ituri conflict.

According to reports, rebels under his command have been accused of massive human rights violations which include ethnic massacres. This activity led to murder and conscripting child soldiers which have led to as many as 60,000 deaths.

5. Bosco Ntanganda

Bosco Ntanganda was a warlord who helped overthrow the Hutu-led government in Rwanda during the civil war in 1994. He later moved to Congo and joined thePatriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo(Forces Patriotiques pour la libération du Congo, FPLC) - the military wing of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC).

Due to his exploit in Congo, he was made its chief of military operations and was widely known as the 'Terminator'

He is responsible for at least a combined figure of 800 000 deaths and a long list of human right violations.