Joseph Kony case in The Hague begins with accounts of alleged atrocities

ICC hearing takes place in absence of Ugandan rebel leader accused of murder, rape, torture and sexual slavery

An international criminal court hearing into charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Ugandan fugitive rebel leader Joseph Kony has begun with accounts of atrocities allegedly committed by his Lord's Resistance Army.

The ICC's first in-absentia hearing will confirm charges but cannot progress to a trial in Kony's absence. The warlord faces 39 counts, including murder, rape, sexual slavery, enslavement and torture, allegedly committed in northern Uganda between July 2002 and December 2005.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report