Vincent Otti
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Vincent Otti | |
|---|---|
 Vincent Otti in Uganda Image courtesy of the International Criminal Court | |
| Born | c. 1946 |
| Died | 2 or 8 October 2007 (aged 60–61) |
| Allegiance | Lord's Resistance Army |
| Criminal information | |
| Criminal charge | 21 counts of war crimes, 11 counts of crimes against humanity (2005) |
Capture status | Dead or at large |
Wanted by | International Criminal Court |
| Wanted since | 8 July 2005 |
Vincent Otti (c. 1946 – 2 or 8 October 2007)[1] was a Ugandan militant who served as deputy-leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel guerrilla army operating mainly in northern Uganda and South Sudan. He was one of the five persons for whom the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued its first arrest warrants on 8 July 2005 in its investigation in Uganda. Rumours of his death began to circulate in October 2007 and strengthened in January 2008. On 17 November 2023, the ICC terminated proceedings against him, confirming his death.[2]
Lord's Resistance Army
Vincent Otti joined the Lord's Resistance Army when it was founded in 1987.[5] He rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and became the LRA's vice-chairman, second in command to Joseph Kony.[5] He was reportedly a member of the "Control Altar", the core leadership group that devises the LRA's strategy.[5]
In 1994, the LRA attacked Atiak, Otti's home town, killing more than 200 people.[4] Otti's brothers reportedly fled the village after the family was accused of breeding a "killer".[4] He is alleged to have led the Barlonyo massacre in February 2004, during which more than 300 villagers were shot, hacked and burned to death.[5]
During the Juba peace talks, which began in July 2006, Otti emerged as the chief spokesperson for the LRA. According to LRA defector Sunday Otto, Otti was also the LRA's leading advocate of joining the peace talks. Otti's push to negotiate an end of the conflict led to tension with Kony and a growing split in the LRA.[6]
Indictment by the ICC
On 8 July 2005, a Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Otti had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, and issued a sealed warrant for his arrest.[7][8] He was charged with 21 counts of war crimes (including murder, pillaging, inducing rape, 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).[7][8]