By Christo Johnson FREETOWN, May 28 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's U.N.-backed Special Court more than doubled jail terms imposed on two former pro-government militia chiefs convicted of war crimes during the 1991-2002 civil war. Moinina Fofana and Allieu Kondewa had their prison terms raised from six to 15 years and eight to 20 years respectively by the appeals chamber of the court in Freetown on Wednesday. The two were leaders of the Civil Defence Forces (CDF) that defended former President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah's government from rebels during the war. The increased sentences were welcomed by human rights campaigners who had been disappointed by the terms handed down by the trial chamber on Oct. 9. The pair were convicted in August of war crimes, including murder, cruelty and pillage committed during the Sierra Leonean conflict, which was notorious for atrocities carried out on civilians by drugged soldiers, often no more than children. In Wednesday's ruling, the appeals judges rejected the trial chamber's argument that the accused, in fighting for the government against the rebels, had contributed to the restoration of the rule of law and democracy in Sierra Leone. The increased sentences for the CDF leaders brought their punishments more in line with prison terms handed out last year by the court against leaders of the rebel Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, which toppled the government in 1997. "The lesson is that it doesn't matter which side you're fighting on, if you commit a war crime, you will be punished accordingly," Patrick Fatoma, the court's outreach coordinator, told Reuters by telephone. New York-based Human Rights Watch said the appeals ruling was important to ensure justice for all victims of human rights abuses, irrespective of the motives of the perpetrators. "This decision rightly affirms that there is no excuse for attacking and mutilating civilians regardless of the purpose in fighting," Elise Keppler, HRW's international justice senior counsel, said in a statement. More than 50,000 people were killed in the civil war. (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/) (Additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher in Dakar; Writing by Pascal Fletcher; editing by Alistair Thomson and Robert Woodward)
Supporters of Congo's former Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba march in the streets of the capital Kinshasa May 27, 2008. More than 1,500 singing, chanting supporters of Bemba marched through the capital Kinshasa ...
