| Okot Odhiambo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Uganda |
| Nationality | Ugandan |
| Known for | Indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity[1] |
| Call-sign | Two Victor[1] |
Okot Odhiambo is a senior leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group which operates from Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Odhiambo was one of five people for whom the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued its first ever arrest warrants in July 2005, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. On 29 January 2009, he announced his intention to defect from the LRA and return to Uganda if the government would agree not to surrender him to the ICC.
He is also known as Two Victor, his radio call sign.[1]
Contents |
| Lord's Resistance Army insurgency |
|---|
|
Events
|
|
Related articles
Lord's Resistance Army |
|
|
Odhiambo was reported to be the LRA's Deputy Army Commander and a member of the "Control Altar", the core leadership group responsible for devising and implementing LRA strategy.[1] He is believed to have become deputy leader of the LRA following the death of Vincent Otti in October 2007.[2]
According to the ICC warrant for his arrest, Odhiambo is described by former LRA commanders and members as a "ruthless killer", as "the one who killed the most", and as "a ‘bitter’ man who will kill anyone".[1] He is reported to have led a number of massacres, including one at a camp for internally displaced persons in Barlonyo in February 2004, during which more than 300 people were burnt, shot and hacked to death.[1][3]
In April 2008, it was reported that Odhiambo and eight others had been killed by LRA leader Joseph Kony during a dispute over a proposed peace deal.[4][5]
On 8 July 2005, Odhiambo was one of five LRA commanders for whom the ICC issued its first ever arrest warrants. The court ruled that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Odhiambo had ordered the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity.[1] The prosecution alleges that Odhiambo commanded attacks against two IDP camps in 2004, during which civilians were killed and children were abducted.[1] Odhiambo was charged with three counts of crimes against humanity (murder and enslavement) and seven counts of war crimes (murder, intentionally directing attacks against civilian populations, pillaging, and forced enlisting of children) in connection with the two attacks.[1]
On 29 January 2009, Odhiambo said he had suffered a serious gunshot wound during a clash with Ugandan forces and was defecting from the LRA.[2] He told Agence France-Presse, "We have requested a safe corridor. I want to come out. I am tired of going up and down all the time."[2] He contacted the International Organization for Migration seeking safe passage to Uganda,[6] along with 45 other rebels and 10 abductees,[7] but said he would not surrender unless he was given a guarantee that he would not be turned over to the ICC.[2] The government of Uganda has indicated that it would try Odhiambo in a national court rather than surrender him to the ICC.[8]
The Catholic Archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama, said the defection could revive hopes of a peaceful end to the conflict.[9] However, Amnesty International criticized the International Organization for Migration for agreeing to facilitate Odhiambo's transfer to Uganda instead of to the ICC.[10]
An LRA spokesman dismissed the reports of Odhiambo's planned defection, claiming the story was invented by the Ugandan army "to create disharmony and danger to LRA fighters".[11]
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||