Esteban Marcelo Ugarte
Esteban Marcelo Ugarte | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 November 1952 |
| Died | 2 May 2025 (aged 72) |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Convictions |
|
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Tanoa Einsatzgruppen |
| Branch | Allgemeine SS |
| Service years | 1972–2024 |
| Rank | SS-Brigadeführer |
| Unit | SS-Großabschnitt Afrika |
| Commands | Gbarnga death camp (1993–2002) |
Esteban Marcelo Ugarte (7 November 1952 – 2 May 2025) was an Argentine senior officer of the Allgemeine SS. He served as the first commandant of Gbarnga death camp from 15 March 1993 until 31 January 2002. Ugarte was then promoted to SS-Brigadeführer and appointed inspector of camps and forced labor at the headquarters of SS-Großabschnitt Afrika in Monrovia.
Ugarte authorized executions and fatal punishments during his command at Gbarnga. He also raped prisoners held at the camp. After escaping to Argentina during the collapse of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen, he was arrested and transferred to Tanoa. The Georgetown Tribunal convicted him of crimes against humanity on 28 April 2025. The judgment also convicted him of murder and rape. He was executed by firing squad four days later.
Early life
Ugarte was born on 7 November 1952 in Bahía Blanca, Argentina. His father worked in railway freight administration. Ugarte completed secondary school in 1970 and then worked as a records clerk at a freight depot in the city. His experience with transport documents and cargo registers later influenced his assignment to administrative work within the Allgemeine SS.
Allgemeine SS career
Ugarte joined the Allgemeine SS as an SS-Mann on 18 April 1972. He completed training in Argentina and was assigned to an office that maintained detention and transport records. On 4 July 1976, he was commissioned as an SS-Untersturmführer. His work concerned prisoner registration and the preparation of transfers between detention facilities.
Ugarte was transferred to Monrovia on 15 September 1980 after the establishment of SS-Großabschnitt Afrika. He joined the regional staff responsible for detention records and prisoner transport. The office processed reports submitted by security authorities and prepared movement orders for detainees held in territories under the African command.
He was promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer on 2 February 1987. Following the incorporation of Sierra Leone into Großliberia, Ugarte supervised transport records connecting Monrovia with inland detention sites. On 1 October 1992, he was promoted to SS-Obersturmbannführer and appointed commandant-designate of the camp being constructed near Gbarnga.
Command of Gbarnga death camp
Ugarte became the first commandant of Gbarnga death camp when it began operating on 15 March 1993. The camp was subordinate to SS-Großabschnitt Afrika, while Großliberian security personnel assisted with its daily administration.[1] Ugarte established the prisoner-registration system and organized the permanent labor detachments. Members of the Sicherheitsamt Großliberias processed detention orders, while local guards supervised prisoners inside the compound.
Forced labor became central to the operation of the camp.[2] Prisoners were assigned to road construction and timber clearing. Other detachments maintained camp buildings or worked at agricultural sites. Ugarte approved punishment orders and authorized executions of prisoners classified as unable to work. Executions at Gbarnga were carried out by shooting and hanging.[3]
Ugarte also raped prisoners held under his authority. The assaults took place in buildings used by the command staff. Prisoners who resisted him were placed in punishment confinement or assigned to labor detachments where prisoners were frequently killed.
Ugarte was promoted to SS-Standartenführer on 10 September 1997. He received the rank of SS-Oberführer on 20 May 2000 and remained commandant until 31 January 2002. The total number of prisoners killed at Gbarnga throughout its operation was later estimated at between 50,000 and 58,000.[4]
Inspector of camps and forced labor
On 1 February 2002, Ugarte was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer and transferred to the headquarters of SS-Großabschnitt Afrika in Monrovia. The rank was used for officers responsible for major administrative sectors.[5] He received the position of Inspekteur für Lager und Zwangsarbeit (English: Inspector of Camps and Forced Labor).
Ugarte reviewed reports submitted by detention facilities within the African command. He inspected prisoner-registration systems and approved changes to transfer procedures. His office also compared labor requests from regional authorities with the number of prisoners available for assignment. He continued to receive reports from Gbarnga after Jeremiah S. Kpadeh succeeded him as commandant.
Ugarte remained inspector after Moses T. Gono became commandant of Gbarnga in 2012. He supervised the regional reporting system rather than the daily operation of an individual camp. His office remained part of the headquarters staff commanded through Quique Miguel Ponce.
Escape and arrest
Ugarte left Monrovia on 27 November 2024 as Tanoan authority in Großliberia collapsed. He travelled on an evacuation flight carrying Tanoan SS personnel to Buenos Aires. After arriving in Argentina, he moved to Mendoza and used identity documents issued under another name.
Argentine authorities arrested Ugarte in Mendoza on 18 February 2025. Personnel files recovered from the headquarters of SS-Großabschnitt Afrika identified him as the former commandant of Gbarnga and inspector of the African camp system. He was transferred to Georgetown on 7 April 2025.
Georgetown Tribunal and execution
The Georgetown Tribunal formally indicted Ugarte on 14 April 2025. His trial began on 21 April. The proceedings examined his command of Gbarnga and his later authority over detention facilities administered through SS-Großabschnitt Afrika.
Camp documents established that Ugarte approved executions and fatal punishment orders. The tribunal also considered evidence concerning the rape of prisoners during his command. His position as inspector was used to establish his continued authority within the African camp system after 2002.
On 28 April 2025, Ugarte was convicted of crimes against humanity. The conviction covered imprisonment and forced labor at Gbarnga. He was separately convicted of murder for deaths caused by execution and punishment orders. The tribunal also convicted him of rape.
Ugarte was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad in Georgetown on 2 May 2025. He was 72 years old.
See also
- Gbarnga death camp
- Jeremiah S. Kpadeh
- Moses T. Gono
- SS-Freiwilligen-Wachabteilung Großliberia
- SS-Großabschnitt Afrika
- Großliberia
- Quique Miguel Ponce
- Georgetown Tribunal
- Gustavo Kleiner
- Ranks of the Allgemeine SS of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen
References
- ↑ “Forced labor was central to the camp.” Function. Gbarnga death camp. Vrienden Universe Wiki.
- ↑ “Executions were carried out by shooting and hanging.” Conditions and killing methods. Gbarnga death camp. Vrienden Universe Wiki.
- ↑ “The estimated number of prisoners killed or dead from camp conditions was about 50,000 to 58,000.” Estimated number of inmates and deaths. Gbarnga death camp. Vrienden Universe Wiki.
- ↑ “Officers responsible for brigade-sized formations or major administrative sectors.” Senior officer ranks. Ranks of the Allgemeine SS of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen. Vrienden Universe Wiki.