A long-awaited court set up to prosecute suspected war criminals in the Central African Republic postponed the start of its first trial on Tuesday as defence attorneys failed to show up, an AFP reporter saw. The Special Criminal Court, a hybrid body of local and foreign magistrates set up in 2015 with UN backing, has been struggling for years to get going in the face of logistical hurdles, lack of money and hostility. Its task is to try individuals suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity since 2003, the start of a period of turmoil that persists to this day. But its maiden session in the capital Bangui on Tuesday was postponed until next Monday in “the absence” of defence lawyers, presiding judge Aime-Pascal Delimo announced. “We are suspending proceedings until April 25,” he said.