Eric Odwar

Biography Early life and UNLA career Odwar was an ethnic Acholi and born at Orom in northern Uganda. In April 1979, Tanzanian forces and the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), a coalition of armed rebel groups, overthrew the regime of Ugandan President Idi Amin. This resulted in widespread unrest, with fleeing Uganda Army troops looting across the country. Alongside Stephenson Ojukwu and Kenneth Banya, Odwar helped to deploy UNLA troops in eastern Acholiland and thus protected the local communities from the looting soldiers. Odwar subsequently rose in the ranks of the UNLA. At one point, Odwar befriended Salim Saleh who subsequently became his long-time opponent.

In 1980, a civil war known as the "Ugandan Bush War" broke out; Odwar remained loyal to the government and continued to serve in the UNLA. By 1983, he had been promoted to major and commanded the "Buffalo Battalion", a sub-unit of the Special Brigade of John Charles Ogole. He eventually rose to second-in-command of the Special Brigade, a UNLA unit which focused on destroying the National Resistance Army (NRA) rebel group. At some point, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

In January 1985, Odwar took part in the Battle of Birembo. Afterward, Odwar continued to command a battalion during Ogole's repeated attempts to find and destroy the NRA's main unit, the Mobile Brigade. In January 1986, the NRA attacked Kampala. Odwar led parts of the local UNLA garrison, including the defense of Summit View. On 26 January, the NRA's 11th Battalion overran Odwar's forces, forcing him to order a retreat. After capturing Kampala, NRA leader Yoweri Museveni was declared president of Uganda.

Rebel activity and death After the NRM seized state power, Odwar and several other UNLA officers continued their attempts to resist. They tried to maintain power in northern Uganda, with Odwar taking control of the UNLA forces blocking the Kampala–Gulu Highway. Despite these efforts, the NRA overran the remaining UNLA holdouts from February to March 1986, thus ending the Ugandan Bush War. Afterward, many UNLA leaders fled into exile, and prepared to resume their resistance. Odwar became a founding member of the Uganda People's Democratic Army (UPDA), a rebel group formed by ex-UNLA commanders to overthrow the new NRM government during a rebellion from mid-1986. As part of the UPDA, Odwar was appointed commander of the 90 Brigade which mainly operated in the area around Kitgum. His troops were based at Oryebo near Namokora.

After some initial successes, the UPDA began to decline; Odwar contemplated to quit the insurgency. He reportedly contacted his old friend and opponent, NRA commander Salim Saleh, and tried to negotiate a ceasefire.

Personal life In one alleged instance, Odwar kidnapped a woman named Jane from a secondary school and forced her to become his wife. She managed to escape at the end of the Ugandan Bush War. By 1986, his family lived in Sudan.