Tomas Asari-Dokubo
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| Born | 1966 (est.) Mbeya, Kujenga |
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| Nationality | Kujengan |
| Known for | Leader of the Army of Justice and Purity (AJP) |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 95 kg (210 lb) |
| Spouse(s) | 76 wives as of 2012 |
| Children | 143 (est.) as of 2015 |
"Messiah" Tomas Asari-Dokubo (born likely 1966) is the leader of the Army of Justice and Purity (AJP), a rebel guerrilla group and heterodox Christian cult operating in southern Kujenga.
While initially formed to fight against alleged government suppression, the AJP and its predecessors, the Truth Revival Movement and the Kujengan True Faith and Allegiance Army, allegedly embarked on an effort to "purify" the people and turn Kujenga into a quasi-theocracy. Asari-Dokubo proclaims himself the spokesperson of God and a spirit medium. After publicly assuming the self-proclaimed mantel of “Messiah,” Asari-Dokubo claims he is visited by and derives divine wisdom from a multinational host of spirits. Ideologically, Asari-Dokubo has enforced his syncretic mix of mysticism, Kujengan nationalism, and Christian fundamentalism. His rhetoric is largely derived from his strict, non-traditional interpretations of selected portions of the Christian Bible, combined with local Kujengan tradition.
Asari-Dokubo has been accused by Kujengan and other regional government entities of ordering the abduction of children to become child soldiers and sex slaves. Unconfirmed estimates claim more than 42,000 children became soldiers, and 1.4 million people were displaced internally from 2002 to 2012. Asari-Dokubo was indicted in 2010 for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, but he has evaded capture. Asari-Dokubo has been subject to an Interpol Red Notice at the request of the ICC since 2010.
Biography
Tomas Asari-Dokubo was likely born in 1966 in Mbeya, a crossroad town in southern Kujenga. Little is known about his early life other than AJP press releases and approved documents. There are records of early tendencies to violence and holding grudges. His family is believed to be farmers. His father was active in the local church and sometimes served as an itinerant minister. Nothing is known about his mother. Young Tomas served as a youth leader in the church until he dropped out of the church and church school at approximately age 14. Mocked as a child for his polydactylism, Tomas later used his six-fingered hand as a sign that God gave him special abilities. The flag of the AJP represents his hand as its primary element.
In 2001, Asari-Dokubo grew to prominence in the Kujenga’s Kasama region as a leader in the Truth Revival Movement. His charismatic speaking and media-savvy made him the public face of the organization. Internal Kujengan political problems and alleged atrocities by radical elements of the Kujengan Security Corps resulted in a backlash that caused the various militias and gangs to coalesce. Asari-Dokubo quickly seized control and unified the groups under his quasi-religious guidance.
Tomas Asari-Dokubo has been implicated in abduction and recruitment of child soldiers. While there is no doubt that Asari-Dokubo recruited children, the government of Kujenga has been accused of abducting and recruiting children into unsanctioned militias.
Indictment and Actions against Asari-Dokubo
In January 2010, the ICC announced that arrest warrants had been issued for 27 members of the Army of Justice and Purity for crimes against humanity following a sealed indictment. The warrants included Asari-Dokubo and several AJP leaders. In a televised interview, Asari-Dokubo declared that he was “not a terrorist, but a fighter for freedom.” When pressed on the issue of child soldiers, he stated, “There are no children in the war against impurity.”
The Kujengan military has attempted to kill Tomas Asari-Dokubo throughout his guerrilla war. Kujenga has enlisted former AJP combatants to search remote areas south of Mbeya where Asari-Dokubo was last seen.
After the September 11 attacks, the United States designated the AJP as a terrorist group. On 5 November 2012, the United States Treasury Department placed Tomas Asari-Dokubo on its list of "Specially Designated Global Terrorists", a designation that carries financial and other penalties. Later that same year, the United States Africa Command was authorized to provide financial and logistical assistance to the Kujengan government in support of their war against the AJP.
In 2012, the Regional Standby Force announced its intentions to support operations to find rebel leader Tomas Asari-Dokubo and to neutralize him while isolating the scattered AJP groups responsible for civilian killings for more than a decade. This international task force was stated to include soldiers "from Kujenga, Amari, and Ziwa, countries where AJP's reign of terror has been felt over the years." Prior to this announcement, the hunt for Asari-Dokubo had primarily been carried out by troops from Kujenga.