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Social Justice: Joseph Kony and the LRA

Invisible Children

Invisible Children is a global movement that uses "film, creativity and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony's rebel war and restore LRA-affected communities in east and central Africa to peace and prosperity."

Go to the Invisible Children website to learn more and watch the videos.

 

Invisible Children is on Facebook. 

Who is Joseph Kony?

Joseph Kony and his close aides have been wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague since 2005.

Their campaign of terror began in northern Uganda more than 20 years ago when they said they were fighting for a biblical state and the rights of the Acholi people. It now operates primarily in neighbouring states. The group is notorious for kidnapping children, forcing the boys to become fighters and using girls as sex slaves.

The LRA and Joseph Kony

  • Founded in the late 1980s
  • Kony is wanted for war crimesby the International Criminal Court
  • Believed to be responsible for 2009 'Makombo massacre' in DR Congo that killed 321
  • Kony considered disbanding his army through a Sudanese-negotiated peace treaty but backed out

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17303179

 

What is the LRA?

The Lord's Resistance Army [LRA]

"The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group led by Joseph Kony, originated in Northern Uganda as a movement to fight for the interests of the Acholi people.... Kony initially stated that the LRA’s mission was to overthrow the government and rule Uganda based on the Ten Commandments. He rapidly lost support, however, and in frustration Kony began abducting thousands of children, turning them into killers and unleashing them on villages."

"Driven out of the country by the Ugandan army, the LRA’s rebels are now scattered across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR) and southern Sudan, where brutal attacks continue on remote villages that can take months to be reported."

They continue to gather food, money and people to sustain their rebellion. So far they have manage to evade organized military efforts to capture them. Geographical, logistical and political realities severely complicate the hunt for Kony.

http://www.warchild.org.uk/issues/the-lords-resistance-army