Okot Odhiambo | |
---|---|
Born | Uganda |
Nationality | Ugandan |
Known for | Indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity |
Title | Major General |
Call-sign | Two Victor |
Okot Odhiambo (also known as Two Victor, his radio call sign) was 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 2005, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. In 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.
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. He is believed to have become deputy leader of the LRA following the (alleged) death of Vincent Otti in October 2007.
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. The prosecution alleges that Odhiambo led a number of massacres and commanded attacks against two internally displaced person camps in 2004, during which more than 300 people were burnt, shot and hacked to death and children were abducted. 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.
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".