DOMINIC ONGWEN BIOGRAPHY

Date of birth: Unknown, but estimated to be in his early 30s
Place of birth: Lamogi, sub-county, Gulu district in Uganda
ICC Charges: Three counts for crimes against humanity and four 
counts for war crimes, including cruel treatment of civilians, murder, 
and pillaging.
 

As the former head of the Sinia brigade, one of the four LRA brigades, 
Ongwen is also a member of the LRA’s "Control Altar."
 In 2007, he was promoted to director of operations, the third-highest position in the LRA’s command structure. 
Ongwen—believed to be around 32—is the youngest person ever to be charged for crimes 
against humanity by the ICC. Before he was abducted by the LRA in the late 1980s at the age of 
10, Ongwen was an illiterate orphan who worked on a farm. 
At Kony’s orders and as a brigade commander, Ongwen executed the LRA’s offensives during its 2002-2003 incursions into Lira and Teso districts in northern Uganda. During these large-scale attacks, the LRA clashed with the Ugandan military on multiple occasions. In this campaign, an estimated 2,200 people were murdered and 3,000 abducted. The campaign also resulted in the deaths of many LRA commanders, but Ongwen gained the reputation of being able to emerge from the bloodiest of battles with the majority of his fighters alive.
Ongwen remains at-large in northeastern Congo.