- Vincent Otti
Vincent Otti (born ca. 1946, confirmed as dead with date of death thought to be 3 November 2007 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7204278.stm BBC NEWS | Africa | Uganda's LRA confirm Otti death ] ] ) was deputy-leader of the
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a rebelguerrilla army operating mainly in northernUganda andsouthern Sudan . He was one of the five persons for whom theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) issued its firstarrest warrant s on8 July 2005 . Rumours of his death began to circulate in October 2007 but were not confirmed until January 2008.Early life
Otti was born around 1946 in the
Atiak sub-county ofGulu District ,Uganda ,Fact|date=November 2007 and his parents died when he was young.Grace Matsiko and Samuel Egadu (10 November 2007 ). " [http://allafrica.com/stories/200711100024.html Uganda: Otti's Relatives Plead With Kony Not to Kill Him] ". "The Monitor". Accessed on12 November 2007 .] He was working as a shopkeeper inKampala when he joined the Lord's Resistance Army in 1987.Noel Mwakugu (7 November 2007 ). " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7083311.stm Profile: LRA deputy Vincent Otti] ". BBC News. Accessed on12 November 2007 .]Lord's Resistance Army
Otti joined the Lord's Resistance Army when it was founded in 1987. He rose to the rank of
Lieutenant General and became the LRA's vice-chairman, second in command toJoseph Kony . He was reportedly a member of the "Control Altar", the core leadership group that devises the LRA's strategy. During the Juba peace talks, which began in July 2006, Otti emerged as the chief spokesperson for the LRA.He is alleged to have led the Balonyo massacre in February 2004, during which more than 300 villagers were shot, hacked and burned to death. In 1994, the LRA attacked Atiak, Otti's home town, killing more than 200 people. Otti's brothers reportedly fled the village after the family was accused of breeding a "killer".
Indictment by the ICC
On
8 July 2005 , a Pre-Trial Chamber of theInternational Criminal Court found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Otti had committedwar crime s and crimes against humanity, and issued a sealed warrant for his arrest.International Criminal Court (5 July 2005 ). PDFlink|" [http://www.icc-cpi.int/library/cases/ICC-02-04-01-05-54_English.pdf Warrant of Arrest for Vincent Otti] "|202 KB. Accessed onNovember 8 2007 .] International Criminal Court (14 October 2005 ). " [http://www.icc-cpi.int/pressrelease_details&id=114&l=en.html Warrant of Arrest unsealed against five LRA Commanders] ". Accessed onNovember 12 2007 .] He was charged with 21 counts of war crimes (includingmurder , pillaging, inducingrape , forced enlisting of children, intentionally directing an attack against a civilian population, and cruel treatment of civilians) and 11 counts of crimes against humanity (including murder, sexual enslavement, and inhumane acts of inflicting serious bodily injury and suffering).Death
In October 2007, sources in the Ugandan military reported that "Otti was killed on or around 8 October 2007 during a high command meeting that Kony convened at his base camp in Garamba", following a disagreement with Kony over the peace process. [Alfred Wasike, Chris Ocowun & Dennis Ojwee (
6 November 2007 ). " [http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/595842 LRA boss Kony names new deputy] ". The "New Vision ". Accessed on8 November 2007 .] [BBC News (7 November 2007 ). " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7082437.stm Ugandan rebel deputy feared dead] ". Accessed on8 November 2007 .] LRA defector Sunday Otto, who claims to have been present during the execution, states that Otti was killed on October 2nd, along with two other officers, and that Otti was the impetus behind the negotiations for peace. [ [http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/120/130/601064/How%20Vincent%20Otti%20was%20Killed "How Vincent Otti was killed"] , "The New Vision",9 December 2007 ] However, Member of Parliament Reagan Okumu claims to have spoken with Otti by telephone on or around19 October 2007 , but says he has since been unavailable.Frank Nyakairu (11 November 2007 ). " [http://www.monitor.co.ug/sunday/news/news11114.php LRA without Otti becomes faceless] ". "The Monitor". Accessed on12 November 2007 .] LRA spokesperson Martin Ojul has repeatedly denied that Otti was executed and claimed that Otti was simply suffering fromcholera .Alfred Wasike, Dennis Ojwee and Caroline Ayugi (8 November 2007 ). " [http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/596244 LRA leader speaks out on deputy Otti] ". The "New Vision ". Accessed on8 November 2007 .] On7 November 2007 , Kony told Gulu district chairmanNorbert Mao that Otti was alive and had been detained for plotting to kill Kony and "conspiring with the enemies of the LRA". Kony also stated that Otti would not be allowed to speak with anyone until the LRA decided it was appropriate.The President of
Southern Sudan ,Salva Kiir Mayardit , said on7 November 2007 that Otti's status remained unclear. [Frank Nyakairu, Grace Matsiko and Samuel Egadu (8 November 2007 ). " [http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news11081.php S. Sudan president speaks on Otti's fate] ". "The Monitor". Accessed onNovember 8 2007 .] The government of Southern Sudan has sent a team to the Congolese border to investigate Otti's fate.The government newspaper "
New Vision " reported on22 November , based on statements from LRA defectors, that Otti had been executed by firing squad, along with "many others", on2 October . Defectors said that he had asked Kony to allow him to speak to his son before his execution. "To strengthen Kony's spirit", Otti's body was said to not have been buried for three days after his death. [ [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=136&art_id=nw20071122093708307C380387 "Lord's Resistance Army leader killed: report"] , DPA ("IOL"), 22 November 2007.] Defectors also claimed Otti had been killed because of his enthusiasm for peace, thus questioning Kony's actual commitment to peace negotiations. [ [http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article24981 "Deputy of Uganda’s rebel LRA executed - deserters"] , Reuters ("Sudan Tribune"), December 1, 2007.] On 21 December 2007 a diplomatic briefing claimed that Otti was executed on 2 October 2007 at Kony's home. According to this account, when Otti arrived there he found that the home was surrounded by Kony's guards, and before entering he made a phone call to Kony due to his concern about this, but was reassured by Kony. Inside the house, however, LRA commanders held Otti at gunpoint and told him that he was arrested; he was then bound, blindfolded and taken outside, where he was shot, despite his pleas for mercy. Kony subsequently claimed that Otti had received foreign funds and was trying to kill him.fact|date=January 2008 On23 January 2008 , Kony confirmed that Otti was dead, but did not offer any details. [ [http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/608136 "Kony confirms Otti’s death"] , "The New Vision",23 January 2008 ]Notes and references
External links
* [http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=58&ReportId=72472 Interview with Vincent Otti, LRA second in command] , "
IRIN ", June 2007
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