LRA deputy chief ready to surrender
Jan 28, 2009
OKOT Odhiambo, the deputy to the Lord’s Resistance Army chief, Joseph Kony, has offered to turn himself in after being wounded in clashes with Ugandan forces hunting down his rebel group in DR Congo.
By Barbara Among
OKOT Odhiambo, the deputy to the Lord’s Resistance Army chief, Joseph Kony, has offered to turn himself in after being wounded in clashes with Ugandan forces hunting down his rebel group in DR Congo.
Odhiambo called the office of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday afternoon requesting them to negotiate his return to Uganda.
“I am defecting. We have requested for a safe corridor. I want to come out. I am tired of going up and down all the time,†Odhiambo reportedly said.
The IOM provides humanitarian assistance to migrants, including refugees and internally displaced people.
The IOM chief of operation in Uganda, Jeremy Haslem, said Odhiambo had asked for safe passage after suffering a gunshot wound in recent clashes.
“We are in direct communication with Odhiambo, who has announced that he has defected and is seeking for amnesty in Uganda under the Amnesty Act 2000,†Haslam said.
“IOM is engaged in this process to support the safe and orderly extraction and repatriation of Odhiambo’s group,†he added. He said they had informed the Government about the request.
Together with odhiambo is a group of 45 fighters and 10 abductees. It is not known yet how many of the captives are women or children.
Negotiations between the rebel commander and the Ugandan army are being conducted through the IOM, a non-governmental group. Odhiambo said his surrender must be mediated by the IOM.
“I can’t negotiate with the UPDF because they will try to kill me. We want someone independent,†he reportedly said.
The process to bring Odhiambo to Uganda kicked-off yesterday and is facilitated under the cooperation of the UPDF.
Haslem said details of the operations were being discussed but could not be disclosed due to the complexity of the operation.
The migration body said they would contact UNICEF and other organisations that would help repatriate the abductees to Uganda.
The New Vision reported on January 3, that Odhiambo and another commander, Bok Abudema, had been injured during the December 14 air strike on their base in Garamba jungles, eastern DR Congo. Abudema has not been located since the attack.
For the last three weeks, the army has engaged a group led by Odhimabo, killing several of his fighters. Over 20 fighters from his group have surrendered since the operation started.
The army announced last week that they were in touch with some top LRA commanders who wanted to surrender.
The UPDF said the development shows that the LRA leader, Kony, is increasingly becoming isolated and vulnerable.
“This shows that operation lightning thunder is paying off,†said Maj. Felix Kulayigye.
The surrender of LRA’s notorious commanders could leave Kony bare. It is already reported that Abudema is in a critical condition, both suffering from gout and probably injured during the December 14 air raids.
Kony is in the fringes of Garamba, North of Maridi but in the Sudan territory.
UN, Congolese and Ugandan officials have said the rebels, estimated to number between 800 and 1,000, have splintered into smaller groups. Only some are believed to be headed for the Central African Republic.
Odhiambo is one of three living LRA commanders, including Joseph Kony and Dominic Ongwen, indicted in 2005 by the International Criminal Court based in The Hague. They are accused of raping and mutilating civilians, enlisting child soldiers and massacring thousands.
Odhiambo, however, said on Tuesday that he would not surrender unless he was given a guarantee that he would not be turned over to the court.
“I won’t go to The Hague,†he said. “I am defecting and seeking amnesty in Uganda.â€
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Stephen Kagoda, who is also a member of the Government negotiating team, said Odhiambo would face the court in Uganda.
“The agreement we signed in Juba is clear. It stated that those accused would face the courts and we stand by that,†Kagoda asserted.
Who is Okot Odhiambo
Charles Okot Odhiambo is the 14th LRA second-in-command to Joseph Kony and ascended to the position in the rebel group in October 2007, replacing Vincent Otti, killed by Kony.
He is also referred to as Two-Victor, his radio call sign. Previously a brigade commander of two of the four LRA brigades, Trinkle and Stockree.
He is a member of Control Altar that directs the rebel’s military strategy, including attacks and brutality aimed at civilians. Control Altar is constituted by top commanders.
Odhimabo is remembered for the attack he commanded on February 21, 2005 at the Barlonyo internally displaced people’s camp in Lira district, in which all huts were set ablaze and over 200 people killed.
Kony appointed him to the rank of ‘Major General’ and appointed him army commander in April 2005
In October 2005, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Odhiambo, Kony, Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya and Dominic Ongwen. The arrest warrants followed a complaint to the ICC by President Yoweri Museveni.
In February 2008, he led a group of rebels from CAR into southern Sudan and attacked the town of Yubu, killing 11 people and abducting 27.
In April 2008, there were rumours that Odhiambo had been killed in a shootout with Kony following a disagreement on peace talks.
According to the ICC, he is described by other LRA members as “the one who killed the most†and “a bitter man, who will kill anyoneâ€.
Sam Kolo, a former LRA commander, describes Odhiambo as a soft-spoken but ruthless fighter, who would always carry out his missions aggressively.
Compiled by Barbara Among
OKOT Odhiambo, the deputy to the Lord’s Resistance Army chief, Joseph Kony, has offered to turn himself in after being wounded in clashes with Ugandan forces hunting down his rebel group in DR Congo.
Odhiambo called the office of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday afternoon requesting them to negotiate his return to Uganda.
“I am defecting. We have requested for a safe corridor. I want to come out. I am tired of going up and down all the time,†Odhiambo reportedly said.
The IOM provides humanitarian assistance to migrants, including refugees and internally displaced people.
The IOM chief of operation in Uganda, Jeremy Haslem, said Odhiambo had asked for safe passage after suffering a gunshot wound in recent clashes.
“We are in direct communication with Odhiambo, who has announced that he has defected and is seeking for amnesty in Uganda under the Amnesty Act 2000,†Haslam said.
“IOM is engaged in this process to support the safe and orderly extraction and repatriation of Odhiambo’s group,†he added. He said they had informed the Government about the request.
Together with odhiambo is a group of 45 fighters and 10 abductees. It is not known yet how many of the captives are women or children.
Negotiations between the rebel commander and the Ugandan army are being conducted through the IOM, a non-governmental group. Odhiambo said his surrender must be mediated by the IOM.
“I can’t negotiate with the UPDF because they will try to kill me. We want someone independent,†he reportedly said.
The process to bring Odhiambo to Uganda kicked-off yesterday and is facilitated under the cooperation of the UPDF.
Haslem said details of the operations were being discussed but could not be disclosed due to the complexity of the operation.
The migration body said they would contact UNICEF and other organisations that would help repatriate the abductees to Uganda.
The New Vision reported on January 3, that Odhiambo and another commander, Bok Abudema, had been injured during the December 14 air strike on their base in Garamba jungles, eastern DR Congo. Abudema has not been located since the attack.
For the last three weeks, the army has engaged a group led by Odhimabo, killing several of his fighters. Over 20 fighters from his group have surrendered since the operation started.
The army announced last week that they were in touch with some top LRA commanders who wanted to surrender.
The UPDF said the development shows that the LRA leader, Kony, is increasingly becoming isolated and vulnerable.
“This shows that operation lightning thunder is paying off,†said Maj. Felix Kulayigye.
The surrender of LRA’s notorious commanders could leave Kony bare. It is already reported that Abudema is in a critical condition, both suffering from gout and probably injured during the December 14 air raids.
Kony is in the fringes of Garamba, North of Maridi but in the Sudan territory.
UN, Congolese and Ugandan officials have said the rebels, estimated to number between 800 and 1,000, have splintered into smaller groups. Only some are believed to be headed for the Central African Republic.
Odhiambo is one of three living LRA commanders, including Joseph Kony and Dominic Ongwen, indicted in 2005 by the International Criminal Court based in The Hague. They are accused of raping and mutilating civilians, enlisting child soldiers and massacring thousands.
Odhiambo, however, said on Tuesday that he would not surrender unless he was given a guarantee that he would not be turned over to the court.
“I won’t go to The Hague,†he said. “I am defecting and seeking amnesty in Uganda.â€
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Stephen Kagoda, who is also a member of the Government negotiating team, said Odhiambo would face the court in Uganda.
“The agreement we signed in Juba is clear. It stated that those accused would face the courts and we stand by that,†Kagoda asserted.
Who is Okot Odhiambo
Charles Okot Odhiambo is the 14th LRA second-in-command to Joseph Kony and ascended to the position in the rebel group in October 2007, replacing Vincent Otti, killed by Kony.
Compiled by Barbara Among