Why We Need to Stop Joseph Kony // Uganda staff responds

Millions of people, including the displaced, the dead, the maimed and the formerly abducted, were left behind in the wake of Joseph Kony and his army’s exodus from Uganda. The LRA broke apart families and interrupted the educational and economic opportunities that northern Ugandans depended on for their futures. As the region recovers, the LRA continues to terrorize central Africa in similar ways.

At Invisible Children, we insist that that Joseph Kony be brought to justice, but our programs do not exist to track Kony down. It is a question we hear often, but that is a job that Invisible Children, as a nonprofit, cannot tactically do. Instead, that job (an increasingly difficult job, we might add) is being done by special forces from the United States, African Union, Ugandan military and the United Nations.

As we focus our efforts (and funding) on reconstruction in post-conflict areas, protecting communities where the LRA is still active, and encouraging peaceful defections, some ask why the capture of Kony remains necessary.

The staff at Invisible Children Uganda can tell you.

97 percent of our program staff is Ugandan, meaning that almost all of the people implementing our programs, coordinating logistics, liaising with communities and mentoring students were impacted by the war. They know what it is like to live in a conflict zone and aim to see that communities no longer suffer from the impact of Kony’s war.

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Willy Charles Okello, the Counter-LRA Programs manager for Invisible Children, has many reasons for why Kony should be stopped.

“I grew up in his war,” Willy said, sharing a story about how some of his very close friends were abducted. In one case, he found his friend’s mutilated body near the roadside. And, as a journalist during the war, Willy captured stories about the conflict. These were stories of suffering, mutilation and massacres.

“We should expect more suffering as long as he continues,” Willy said. “Even though there has not been a Kony sighting in years, he can still mobilize as long as he continues to be [in central Africa.] He should be caught for us to know that he is no longer a problem. He can continue to brainwash people as he has done for so many years.”

Willy argues that we will keep breeding terror if the world decides to act like Kony is a non-issue.

Military operations, in dense jungles and areas with limit infrastructure, are no easy feat, especially when the people you are trying to track down have been operating in these areas for years. But, one man cannot defeat the world, Willy says. It just might take longer to catch him than some might like to be believe. The capture of Kony will protect innocent lives and enhance the world’s commitment to human rights, he adds.

“He told us he began the war [against the government] to liberate the Acholi people. The Acholi people are not in Central African Republic. They are not in Congo. They are not in South Sudan. We are [in northern Uganda], yet you go and rape their woman, burn their huts and steal their food,” Willy said about Kony’s movements. “The war is useless and he should be stopped for killing innocent people.”

Joseph Kony with wife

Robert Anywar, Invisible Children’s program manager for education and livelihoods, believes that Kony must be captured for society to see the return of those abducted during the conflict.

“Kony’s rebellion has created an unfriendly environment in central Africa. Over the years we have  now seen peace in northern Uganda with the help of Invisible Children and other organizations. We can sustain these investments and the efforts in empowerment and recovery can continue if we gets [the LRA fighters] out of the bush,” he said.

He believes that combatting Kony’s LRA will be a marker for peace in east and central Africa. The LRA is a far cry from the only rebel group plaguing the region, but the fact that it has been operating for so many years stands as a reason to combat its movements as best as possible.

“If we want a permanent peace, if we want a permanent end, he has to be captured,” Robert says. “We have experienced a lot of injustice in northern Uganda from what started as a ragtag group. It grew and now we need justice for four countries.”

To our American friends: take action today by encouraging your representative to remain committed to ending the atrocities of Joseph Kony and his rebel army. Speak up.