Uganda: Why Museveni Promoted UPDF's Brig Richard Otto

29 June 2023
Nile Post (Kampala)
By Kenneth Kazibwe

President Yoweri Museveni who is also the commander in chief of the UPDF has promoted Brig Gen Richard Otto to the next rank of Major General.

Gen Otto was previously appointed as the chairperson of the South Sudan supervisory mechanism which monitors the implementation of the peace process in the Republic of South Sudan on behalf of Uganda as a guarantor of the peace agreement.

President Museveni is the chairperson of the IGAD guarantors for the South Sudan peace process.

This website has learnt that the commander in chief of the UPDF has promoted Brig Otto to the rank of Major General to ensure he assumes the new special assignment in South Sudan.

Previously, Lt Gen Paul Lokech, Maj Gen James Birungi and Maj Gen Jack Bakasumba have served in that special assignment in South Sudan.

In August last year, the first unified South Sudan forces graduated, thanks to a key role played since 2019 when Gen Lokech started the process of monitoring on behalf of the guarantors of the peace process, the assembling, screening, demobilization and integration of the armed forces of South Sudan.

In what was termed by insiders within the army and at State House as a special assignment, Gen Lokech was meant to oversee the integration of the armed forces which among others involved the creation of cantonment sites, where troops and rebels were to be screened, trained and integrated into a single force has also not been effected.

Lokech performed the role until December 2020 when he was appointed the Deputy Inspector General of Police and replaced by Maj Gen James Birungi who carried on from where his predecessor had ended.

Maj Gen Bakasumba replaced him in 2022.

Therefore, this special assignment is what awaits Maj Gen Richard Otto in Juba.

Biography

Maj Gen Otto previously served as the UPDF contingent commander in Somalia after taking over from Maj Gen Michael Kabango but also served as served as the Moroto based UPDF 3rd division commander between 2017 and 2020 after replacing Maj Gen Dick Olum.

Maj Gen Otto also served as the commander of the UPDF contingent in Central African Republic which was part of an African Union regional task force that was hunting for Lord's Resistance Army(LRA) rebels headed by Joseph Kony.

At the time of the Central African Republic deployment, he was at the rank of Colonel.

Read the original article on Nile Post.

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