Who is Ongwen?

Former LRA commander Dominic Ongwen’s journey from abduction at the age of 10 to his surrender, and trial at The Hague.

1975: Ongwen is born in the village of Coo-rom, Kilak County, Amuru District, northern Uganda.

1986: Rebellion in northern Uganda breaks out after NRA/M captures power.

1988: Ongwen is abducted on his way to school and thereafter placed in the hands of Vincent Otti, a senior LRA commander at the time.

1994: At the age of 14 he is moved to Sudan where he undergoes military training in Khartoum, and is tasked with  overseeing field operations.

1998: He is promoted to the rank of Major.

2003: Uganda makes referral of Ongwen and four other LRA deputies to the International Criminal Court.

2004: ICC begins investigations into war atrocities reportedly committed by LRA.

2005: Ongwen is reported dead by the UPDF in one of the field operations. ICC issues arrest warrants for Ongwen and other LRA deputies.

2006: ICC confirms that Ongwen is still alive after cross- examining generic fingerprints of the said body collected with DNA samples of his known surviving relatives. Reports later confirm that he is still alive and is somewhere in the Equatorial province, present day South Sudan,.

2007: LRA leader Joseph Kony orders the execution of Otti and his other close aides but Ongwen is spared. Negotiations with Uganda fail and LRA rebels push backwards to DRC.

2008: In June he leads a raid on a South Sudanese military garrison in Nabanga in which several rebels die

2009: After the botched raid he refuses to join the rest of the LRA group in Central African Republic. Kony also receives reports that Ongwen is communicating with Ugandan officials with the intention of surrendering alongside his 60 fighters.

2010: Kony sends a large force of loyal troops to intercept Ongwen’s group, which at that time operates along the Duru River in DRC. They split up Ongwen’s group and replace key members with fighters from Kony’s loyalist Central Brigade. Kony demotes him and gives Lt. Col. Binany command of LRA forces in Congo.

2011: He meets Kony again, is demoted on spot and threatened with execution.

2012: In August he escapes and moves further north into CAR. UPDF reports attacking Ongwen’s group in the process.

2013: Defectors indicate that he may have regrouped with Kony again and promoted back to senior leadership.

2014: LRA conducts occasional attacks in areas where UPDF/US troops are stationed.

2015: On January 3 he slips into the hands of the Seleka Muslim outfits near Samouandja province in south east CAR.
On January 5 he is handed over to the US troops who airlift him to their bases in Obo town and is positively identified by the UPDF. Talks between Uganda and The African Union’s Regional Counter LRA Task Force commence on the next course of action.
On January 15 he is handed over to the UPDF troops for processing.
On January 16 UPDF hands him over to Central African Republic to hand him over to ICC.
On January 17 CAR authorities hand him over to ICC and he is flown to the ICC headquarters at The Hague.

2016: Ongwen trial before the International Criminal Court begins in December.

2021: The International Criminal Court is set to deliver judgment today after trying Ongwen.

Man hugs God after kiss with death in LRA camp

Richard Kakanyero, 36, was abducted by LRA rebels in December 2001 as he returned from Christmas shopping. He narrated his ordeal in captivity to our reporter Cissy Makumbi
‘I had escaped from previous LRA captivity. Prior to my abduction, my mother had given me a piece of tree bark as a charm that would bring protection. I kept it on me  all times.
Life in the LRA captivity was hard. I missed home all the time and because of the poor feeding (and lack of food), my body wasted away fast. My commander was disgusted with me and multiple times wanted me killed.

During my time in the captivity, we rotated within Kilak hills in Amuru District to elude tracking by UPDF. I was very worried. It was at that time that God spoke to me so clearly and said. ‘Why don’t you try trusting me’?
Then I decided to throw away my charm that I had been secretly keeping, and I made a deal with God and told Him that if he took my thoughts of home away from me, I would live for Him.
On a day I was supposed to be killed, some of our enemies (Uganda government soldiers) attacked us, and everyone scattered and by the time everything settled down days later, they had forgotten to kill me!
One day I was chosen, along with other soldiers from our group to go to the border of Sudan and welcome  LRA leader Joseph Kony (the leader of the LRA). After that I was given a gun and a lot more freedom. So, one evening God brought back my thoughts of home.
It was on that day, seven months after I was abducted, that I just walked away from LRA camp in Amuru District.”

Compiled by Frederic Musisi
& Anthony Wesaka
graphic by Muhammad Tamale