The Lord’s Resistance Army is an insurgent guerrilla campaign that has been running since the late 1980s. It is currently led by religious fanatic Joseph Kony, a self-proclaimed spokesman for God. He claims that he is possessed by spirits and receives prophecies from them. His reign of terror was one of the longest campaigns in Africa. Thousands of children have been stolen, recruited as child soldiers, raped and injured. These child soldiers are at the heart of a humanitarian crisis that has seen up to 20,000 children stolen over the course of the campaign. While the Lord’s Resistance Army is known for its horrific massacres and tactics, there are ten more facts that need to be read to be believed.
1. Up to 30% of all enlisted child soldiers are girls. While most child soldiers are boys, girls are particularly vulnerable to abuse and rape. They are typically used for sexual purposes by male soldiers, who are often thought of as the “wives” of the soldiers and commanders. This phenomenon is not unique to Uganda. it has spread to every conflict region in Africa. Joseph Kony himself once had 50 underage nannies.
2. The Lord’s Resistance Army is the longest standing, most violent, and most consistent armed group. It has been active since 1986 when it was formed to fight against Uganda’s ruling government. The LRA operated from 1986 to 2006 with two million people displaced in northern Uganda at the height of their conflict.
3. The Lord’s Resistance Army had no public support. Without the support needed to run recruitment campaigns, the LRA would force children to join. At least 66,000 children and youth were stolen by the LRA between 1986 and 2006. Many of these children were only held shortly before escaping or being released, but a large proportion had to stay to become child soldiers or sex slaves and wives for the other soldiers.
5. The leaders of the LRA were declared war criminals and in 2005 arrest warrants were issued by the International Criminal Court. While the arrest warrants were originally for the leaders of the LRA, Kony, Otti, Odhiambo, Ongwen and Lukwiya, Otti and Lukwiya are believed to be dead. The others are still being sought. The United Nations Security Council conducts peacekeeping operations in South Sudan specifically to address the problem of the LRA. The African Union formally designated the Lords Resistance Army as a terrorist group and approved an initiative to discourage and eliminate the LRA. Joseph Kony was even named a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” by the US State Department in 2008.
6. Joseph Kony was once believed to be possessed by spirits and a keeper of the prophecies brought by the spirits. He believed the cross offered literal protection from evil and encouraged his child soldiers to wear oil-painted crosses on their chests to protect them from bullets. He defended his atrocities by saying that God told him to do it. All his actions were approved by God. His religious zeal was so strong that former child soldiers still have nightmares that he brought back to have in their sleep.
7. The recovery of child soldiers has a long way to go. There are currently nine reception centers for the rescue of child soldiers. Between 13% and 43% of young people come to these reception centers, where they spend about six weeks recovering and receiving medical attention. Once families have been found for them, they will be placed with families. Unfortunately, the ideal follow-up time for child soldier recovery is five to seven years, not four to six weeks.
8. As of 2011, the Lords Resistance Army has been greatly reduced. Unofficial estimates ranged from 300 to 400 combatants, half of whom were thought to have been kidnapped. By 2012, estimates ranged from 200 to 700 combatants and abductees. While reduced, they are still considered a threat.
9. Although the LRA still poses a threat, it is no longer headquartered in Uganda. They have moved to Sudan, Congo and Central African Republic. In 2010, they were blamed for a 2009 massacre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
10. Invisible Children’s controversial Kony 2012 videos, while popular in the US, were less loved in Uganda. In Gulu, the former center of the LRA uprising, YouTube has had over 100 million views, but many were afraid. They were concerned the video was a sign that Joseph Kony had returned to Uganda, a place where many seek to recover, heal and forget.
Is he dead or alive?
Joseph Kony is still believed to be alive. He’s still at large and nobody seems to be able to catch him. Analysts have argued he’s not as dangerous as he used to be. He is believed to still be around with 20 to 30 loyal fighters, several wives and his two sons. He is also believed to still have followers and is organizing smuggling operations undetected while hiding in the disputed, mineral-rich Kafia Kingi area of southern Darfur in Sudan.