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Richard Otto (military officer)

Richard Otto

Major General
Born (1968-01-01) January 1, 1968 (age 56)
Uganda
Allegiance Uganda
Service / branchUPDF Land Forces
Years of service1986 – Present
RankMajor General
Commands

Major General Richard Otto is a senior military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF). Since 13 May 2024, he has been the Commander of the UPDF Mountain Division and also Commander of "Operation Shujaa", a joint undertaking by the UPDF and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) to neutralize the Allied Democratic Front (ADF) terrorist organization in the Eastern DR Congo.[1] Immediately prior to his current assignment, Richard Otto was the chairman of the "South Sudan Peace Mechanism", an IGAD-sponsored observer mechanism, to ensure adherence to the peace treaties by the protagonists.[2]

Before that, he was the commanding officer of the third army division of the UPDF, based in Moroto. He was appointed to that position in May 2017.[3][4]

Prior to that, he served as the commander of the UPDF contingent in the Central African Republic, as part of the African Union Regional Task Force (AU-RTF), the regional counter-offensive against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).[5]

Background

He was born in the Northern Region of Uganda in the 1960s.[citation needed]

Career

The regional task force to neutralise (kill or capture) the Ugandan fugitive Joseph Kony was established in 2012. The force was supposed to be 5,000 troops strong, with units from the African countries terrorized by Kony and his guerilla force, the LRA.[6] Major General Dick Olum, at the rank of colonel, was selected as the first commander of the force.[7]

However, the force turned out to be composed entirely of Ugandan soldiers. The other countries, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic, beset by domestic instability and in some cases outright civil war, were unable to send troops or quickly withdrew the ones assigned to the mission. The mission failed to secure donor funding and Uganda ended up funding the entire mission on its own.[8]

Later, Richard Otto, at the rank of colonel took command of the anti-LRA troops. They were joined by a 100-strong contingent from the United States military in non-combat roles. In April 2017, the mission was closed and the Ugandan and American troops relocated to other missions.[8]

Richard Otto, at the rank of brigadier, also served as commander of the 6,000 military personnel comprising the UPDF AMISOM contingent in Somalia. He replaced Brigadier Michael Kabango, whose tour of duty had come to an end.[9]

In October 2017, the president of Uganda and commander-in-chief sent Richard Otto, now at the rank of Brigadier to replace Dick Prit Olum as the head of the UPDF third division, in Moroto. Olum was dispatched to Kinshasa, as Uganda's Defence Attache to DR Congo.[10]

In May 2024, Richard Otto now at the rank of major general, replaced Major General Dick Olum, as commander of the UPDF Mountain Division. Dick Olum was selected to lead the "South Sudanese Stabilization Mission".[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Muhamadi Byemboijana (13 May 2024). "Major General Richard Otto Replaces Major General Dick Olum As Operation Shujaa Commander". SoftPower Uganda. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  2. ^ Uganda Radio Network (29 June 2023). "Museveni Promotes Richard Otto To Major General". The Independent (Uganda). Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  3. ^ Daily Monitor (10 October 2017). "Brigadier Dick Olum sent to DR Congo in mini army reshuffle". Daily Monitor. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  4. ^ Pascal Kwesiga (10 October 2017). "Brigadier Olum Replaces Deceased Taban In DRC". New Vision. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  5. ^ David Mafabi (8 May 2017). "Museveni promotes 400 UPDF officers". Daily Monitor. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  6. ^ BBC (24 March 2012). "African Union Force Steps Up Hunt for Joseph Kony". BBC News. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  7. ^ Allan Thompson (9 April 2012). "Kony 2012: A Message From Commander Hunting Down The Warlord". TheStar.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  8. ^ a b Samuel Okiror (26 April 2017). "Uganda and the United States have ended a six-year hunt for elusive warlord Joseph Kony and his notorious Lord's Resistance Army". Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  9. ^ The Independent Uganda (20 December 2019). "UPDF Soldiers In Somalia Get New Commander". The Independent (Uganda). Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  10. ^ Pascal Kwesiga (10 October 2017). "Brigadier Olum replaces deceased Taban in DRC". New Vision. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
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