Innocent people cannot be killed by the ruthless rebel leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, Joseph Kony, whose objective is to overthrow the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni’s government and to give a voice to the Acholi people. Also according to BBC News Africa, Kony wants the government of Uganda to be run by the teaching of God. Joseph Kony was borne to an Acholi’s family in 1964, in Odek, which is known as Acholiland,  and is part of northern Uganda.  Kony’s growing up, he served as an altar boy in the Catholic Church he attended[i].  Kony never completed high school.

   In 1986, Kony established the Lord’s Resistance Army to fight against the Museveni’s government.[ii] In order to accomplish his objectives, he had forced more than 60, 000 children to fight for him. Most of these children have been kidnapped from their parents, relatives. Children he had kidnapped cannot resist of fighting for him. If they did, they face retribution from Kony.  He also uses girls as sex slaves.

   For the past two decades since Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army has been used to fight its objectives, Kony has ordered his fighters to murder, torture, and sexually enslave innocent people. Kony’s actions have led thousands of people from four countries: Uganda, South Sudan, The Democratic Republic of Congo and The Central African Republic to flee their homes and for their lives.  Also, Kony’s fighters have massacred civilians inside churches, forced them to cut off cliffs, burned them alive, and even made them to eat dead bodies. [iii]

    Because of the atrocities Kony and his followers had caused, and are still causing, he is the world one number most wanted warlords[iv]. Joseph Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Ugandan government. In 2005, Kony was indicted for thirty-three counts by the ICC. Of those counts, he is accused of twelve counts against humanity.  Since he has been indicted, he has escaped in the vast jungle and cannot be seen by either the Ugandan government or ICC to face justice. In order for the atrocities to be ended, he has to be caught.

   In October of 2011, President Barrack Obama of the United States sent one hundred US troops to Central Africa Republic (CAR) to help the Ugandan military capture the Lord’s Resistance Army leader, Joseph Kony. These soldiers have been divided into four bases.[v] Last month, the African Union sent 5000 soldiers for the same initiative as the US.

 Joseph Kony 2012, a Youtube movie posted on March 05 2012,  produced by an activist group called Invisible Children has made it, its initiative to call international attention on Kony’s arrest. The video has been viewed by nearly ninety million people around the world. And it wants for everyone: presidents, congress, celebrities, citizens, to be involved- to help capture Kony. One of Invisible main objectives is to make sure Kony is arrested before the end of this year so that he can stop kidnapping and forcing children to be involved in his initiatives.  

   The hunt has begun. The question is, will he be captured before the end of this year? as Invisible Children has said. Hopefully, the attention that is being given to Kony would enable developed countries to make it their initiative to help get him captured. Geopolitics should not be used right own. Instead, what needs to be solely used in Uganda, ought to be based on humanitarian reasons- so that children cannot  be preyed by Kony and his aides; so that the nearly two million people who have been displaced by two decades of war can return to their homes, and also so that the Ugandan people can  enjoy stable peace.

                                                                                        Bibliography

[i]."Profile: Joseph Kony - Africa - Al Jazeera English." Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera, 15 Oct. 2011. Web. 01 May 2012. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/2011101582435154748.html>>.

[ii] "U.S. Special Forces Helping Hunt for Joseph Kony." CBSNews. CBS, 29 Apr. 2012. Web. 01 May 2012. <<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57423912/u.s-special-forces-helping-hunt-for-joseph-kony/?pageNum=2>>.

[iii]   Atherton, Ben. "Who Is Joseph Kony?" ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). ABC, 09 Mar. 2012. Web. 01 May 2012. <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-08/who-is-joseph-kony/3877490>>.

[iv] KONY 2012." YouTube. YouTube, 05 Mar. 2012. Web. 01 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc>.

[v] Damon, Dan. "Ugandan Army Says Sudan Is Backing Joseph Kony's LRA." BBC News. BBC, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 01 May 2012. <<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17890432>>