The Hague  - The prosecution at the International Criminal Court (ICC) concluded its case Tuesday in the trial of Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, according to a court statement Tuesday.

Lubanga, 48, is standing trial at the ICC in The Hague on charges of recruiting child soldiers for the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lubanga is allegedly responsible for creating an entire infrastructure around child soldiers during the bloody Congolese civil war between 1998 and 2003.

At the opening of the trial in January Lubanga pleaded not guilty.

A total of 28 witnesses have given evidence since then. All but three of them received special protective measures in court during their evidence.

Lubanga is the first suspect to be brought for trial before the ICC, the world's first permanent tribunal authorized to deal with serious war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Lubanga, who faces six charges of recruiting and using children in the final years of the civil was, was arrested in the Congolese capital Kinshasa in 2005. He has been in the custody of the ICC since March 2006.

The defence is expected to start their case in October.  (dpa)