Joseph Kony is the leader of a Ugandan rebel group called the Lord’s Resistance Army. The LRA began fighting against thegovernment of Uganda in the late 1980s. According to western leaders Kony has committed many crimes against the Ugandan people. For years he has kidnapped thousands of children, made soldiers out of the boys and had the girls raped or killed. The group has spread violence and terror throughout Uganda, killing thousands of people, in many cases the families of the children he hadabducted. Over two million people have been driven away from their homes.

Kony was born in a small villagein northern Uganda. He never completed school and when he was 25 he founded a rebel group tooverthrow Uganda’s government. Kony is a very religious man who claims to be guided by spirits who show him the way.

Joseph Kony - Uganda's rebel leader

 

In 2006 Kony was charged with 33 war crimes by the International Criminal Court. These included murder, rape and forced fighting. After these allegations Kony left Uganda. Today his LRA rebel group operates from neighbouring countries, mainly South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Captured youngsters who have escaped from Kony’s rebels tell horror stories of how they had been treated. They describe Kony as afearless man who shoots those who do not obey his orders.

For the last few years many countries, including the United States, have tried to capture Kony. After the 9/11 attacks on the United States, Kony’s rebels were declared a terrorist movement. African states have also promised to help stop Kony. Up to now all attemptsat capturing the rebel leader have failed.

In 2012, an organization called Invisible Children uploaded a 30 minute film called Kony 2012 to YouTube. Its aim is to make Konypopular and to have him arrested by the end of the year. The film was a great success. By March 2012 over 90 million viewers had seen the film on YouTube, making it one of the most downloaded videos of all times.