Uganda confirms ID of LRA leader who surrendered

FILE - In this Sunday, April 29, 2012 file photo, U.S. Army special forces Captain Gregory, 29, from Texas, right, who would only give his first name in accordance with special forces security guidelines, speaks with troops from the Central African Republic and Uganda who are searching for Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), in Obo, Central African Republic. The Obama administration said Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015 that it has taken into custody a man claiming to be Dominic Ongwen, a top member of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, after the man surrendered to U.S. forces in the Central African Republic. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File) FILE - In this Sunday, April 29, 2012 file photo, U.S. Army special forces Captain Gregory, 29, from Texas, right, who would only give his first name in accordance with special forces security guidelines, speaks with troops from the Central African Republic and Uganda who are searching for Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), in Obo, Central African Republic. The Obama administration said Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015 that it has taken into custody a man claiming to be Dominic Ongwen, a top member of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, after the man surrendered to U.S. forces in the Central African Republic. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

By Associated Press January 7, 2015 3 min read

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) – Uganda’s military said Wednesday it had confirmed the identify of Lord’s Resistance Army rebel commander Dominic Ongwen who surrendered to American troops in Central African Republic.

Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, the Ugandan army spokesman, said soldiers and Ongwen’s former colleagues who defected from the LRA had positively identified him.

“I can confirm that he is the one. We have duly identified him. There is no doubt about his identity,” Ankunda said. The man turned himself over to U.S. soldiers in Central African Republic on Tuesday, officials in Washington said.

The Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, James Mugume, told The Associated Press that a Ugandan legal team was to consult with the International Criminal Court on whether the rebel commander should be moved to The Hague for trial or be tried at home. The LRA’s rebellion began in Uganda.

Mugume said the ICC and Uganda government would discuss the ICC “Complementarity Principle,” which he said gives states first responsibility and right to prosecute international crimes like those allegedly committed by Ongwen.