Uganda’s army has confirmed that a senior commander from the militant rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army surrendered on Tuesday to joint US and African forces in the Central African Republic.
The State Department of the United States confirmed the capture of a man claiming to be Dominic Ongwen, announcing that if confirmed, it would represent a “historic blow” to the command structure.
The spokesman of Uganda’s military, Paddy Ankunda, told journalists: “We can now confirm he’s the one, and we can also confirm he’s in our custody at our base in Obo. We think he was just tired of bush life and simply turned himself in.”
U.S-backed African troops have, since 2011, been trying to track down Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in a guerrilla war in Uganda and neighboring countries .
Fighters of LRA are known for using extreme violence, including chopping off limbs as a form of punishment.
They are also notorious for raping young girls and abducting them for use as sex slaves.
Ongwen is reported to have been abducted when he was 10 while on his way to school and has over time risen to his current position in the group.
In 2005, he was indicted on seven counts by the ICC, including crimes against humanity and murder, pillaging and enslavement, according to the Enough Project.
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana