President Museveni has appointed Maj Gen Richard Otto as the new commander of the Mountain Division and consequently commander of Operation Shuuja, a joint operation by Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in DRC.
He replaces Maj Gen Dick Olum who has been sent to South Sudan Stabilisation Mechanism where Maj Gen Otto has been representing Uganda.
South Sudan stabilisation mechanism monitors the implementation of the peace process on behalf of Uganda as a Guarantor of the Peace agreement.
“We congratulate the two Generals upon their new assignments and wish them good luck,” a statement from Uganda Media centre reads in part.
In October 2022, Maj Gen Olum was appointed commander of the Mountain Division based in Fort Portal, Kabarole District, replacing Lt Gen Kayanja Muhanga who was appointed Commander of the Land Forces.
President Museveni who is the commander in chief promoted Otto from Brig Gen to the rank of Major General in June 2023 days after he was appointed the chairperson of the South Sudan stabilisation mechanism.
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).
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 terrorised by Kony and his guerilla force, the LRA. Then at the rank of colonel, Olum was selected as first commander of that force.
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.
Later, Otto, at the rank of colonel took command of the Anti-LRA troops. They were joined by a 100-troops strong contingent from the United States military in non combative roles. In April 2017, the mission was closed and the Ugandan and American troops were relocated to other missions.
In October 2017, Mr Museveni sent Otto to replace Olum as the head of the UPDF third division in Moroto. Olum was dispatched to Kinshasa, as Uganda’s Defence Attaché to DR Congo.
