President Museveni, who also doubles as the Commander in Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), has appointed Maj. Gen. Richard Otto as the new commander of Mountain Division and commander of Operation Shuuja, a joint operation involving the UPDF and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists operating in the eastern DRC.
Gen. Otto takes over from Maj. Gen. Dick Olum, who has been assigned to the South Sudan Stabilization Mechanism, which monitors the implementation of the peace process on behalf of Uganda as a guarantor of the peace agreement.
Gen. Otto has been representing Uganda in that capacity in South Sudan.
The UPDF, in a brief statement on Monday, confirmed the new changes.
“HE, the President, has appointed Maj. Gen. Richard Otto as the new Commander of Mountain Division and, thereby, Commander of Operation Shuuja,” the statement reads in part.
“Maj Gen Dick Olum is heading to the South Sudan Stabilization Mechanism, replacing Maj Gen Otto, who has been representing Uganda. We congratulate the two generals on their new assignments and wish them good luck,” it adds.
Maj Gen Olum was appointed commander of the Mountain Division based in Fort Portal, Kabarole District, and Operation Shuuja in October 2022, replacing Maj Gen Kayanja Muhanga, who was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed Commander, Land Forces.
Museveni promoted Otto from Brig Gen to the rank of Major General in June 2023, a few days after he was appointed the chairperson of the South Sudan stabilization mechanism.
Maj. Gen. Otto 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).