The International Criminal Court says a war crimes trial of a former Congolese militia leader will be held entirely in The Hague, in the Netherlands.

A presiding judge said Wednesday that the global court decided not to hold part of Thomas Lubanga's trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Judge Adrian Fulford says the DRC government warned that such a move would fuel ethnic tension in the country.

Lubanga led a militia in eastern Congo during the country's 1998 to 2003 civil war. He is charged with recruiting thousands of children under the age of 15 to fight for the militia, an offense that constitutes a war crime.  Lubanga denies the charge.

Judge Fulford says Lubanga's trial will not begin before June 23. It will be the first trial held at the world court since it was set up in 2002.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.