Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have been abducting, killing, and displacing civilians in central and East Africa since 1987.
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Over the past two weeks, two high-profile articles have come out revolving around counter-LRA operations in central and East Africa. The New Yorker’s “How a Texas Philanthropist Helped Fund the Hunt for Joseph Kony” and The Washington Post’s “Kony 2013: U.S. quietly intensifies efforts to help African troops capture infamous warlord” both offer an in depth look into the Ugandan-led, American supported mission. Using information from both articles, as well as previous reports by Invisible Children and its partners, here are five times Joseph Kony evaded capture:
March 2002: With the support of the Sudanese and U.S. governments, the Ugandan military raided and destroyed several LRA camps in southern Sudan during a mission know as Operation Iron Fist. The LRA retaliated by returning to northern Uganda and causing widespread violence and internal displacement.
December 2008: The armies of Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and southern Sudan launched a joint military operation, with logistical support from the United States, in an attempt to apprehend Joseph Kony and dismantle the LRA. The mission, referred to as Operation Lightening Thunder, weakened the LRA but ultimately failed to capture Kony and his top commanders. In retaliation, the LRA split into smaller factions and launched a series of deadly attacks against communities in the region. According to Human Rights Watch, between December 2008 and January 2009, the LRA killed more than 865 civilians and abducted 160 children in eastern DRC.
September 2011: In the aforementioned article by the New Yorker, the following was reported by Elizabeth Rubin: “A group of Ugandan soldiers trained by the South Africans crossed into South Sudan and caught Kony by surprise at a meeting with his commanders. Kony escaped, but the Ugandans took back a haul of valuable intelligence: satellite phones, a computer, and diaries.”
March 2013: In the same article Rubin states, “A hundred and fifteen Ugandan soldiers were airlifted to a temporary base on the border of Sudan and the Central African Republic. They hiked into Sudan at night to avoid detection by local cattle herders. They had spent months planning the mission, called Merlin, and they had confirmation that Kony and his entourage – wives, children, and bodyguards – were in the Darfur camp. After three days, the Ugandans encircled the Darfur camp. It was empty. Judging by the recently harvested cassava that was not yet dry, and by the remains they found in Kony’s personal latrine, it seemed that the LRA had fled less than a week earlier.”
September 2013: A team of U.S. Special Forces soldiers traveled overnight across the Congo with four dozen South Sudanese soldiers to Joseph Kony’s modest camp. Upon arriving at the camp early the next morning, the soldiers discovered that Kony and his core group of LRA had already abandoned it. The soldiers continued their hunt for the group but ultimately failed to find them.
Despite the close encounters, Joseph Kony has continued to thrive from 27 years of experience traversing the dense jungles of Central African Republic, DRC, and South Sudan. These recent attempts by counter-LRA forces to apprehend him signify that the international community is committed and closer than ever to capturing Kony.
While local forces and the U.S. advisors continue to search for Kony, Invisible Children and its partners are working to dismantle the LRA from within. By using proven “come home” messaging tactics, including leaflets that are air-dropped over the dense jungle with photos of former LRA members and instructions for how to escape. In 2012, 81% of escapees cited this type of messaging as a reason for their escape. In addition, we broadcast messages with instructions on how to safely surrender via helicopter speakers flown over the region and FM radio stations that the LRA are known to listen to.
From now until December 31st, we are fundraising to increase the reach and frequency of these programs that have proven to dramatically decrease LRA violence and improve the livelihood of those have escaped and return home. We hope you’ll join us.
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