Updated

A commander in warlord Joseph Kony's feared militia is making his first appearance before an International Criminal Court judge.

Dominic Ongwen appeared in court Monday for a brief hearing to confirm his identity and that he understands the charges against him.

Ongwen arrived in The Hague last week after being taken into custody in Central African Republic. He faces war crimes and crimes against humanity charges for his alleged role in a reign of terror by Kony's Lord's Resistance Army that has spanned more than 25 years in central Africa's Great Lakes region.

Ongwen was one of five LRA commanders indicted by the ICC in 2005. Three other commanders have since died, according to the Ugandan army. Kony is the only one of the five to remain at large.