The Lord’s Resistance Army is one of the most vicious rebel groups on this planet today. Its leader, Joseph Kony, instructs his fighters to abduct young men and women to fight in their ranks, loot and ravage innocent communities for food and clothing, and hold women and children hostage as sex slaves and porters. Joseph Kony is the world’s worst living war criminal — but why is he fighting at all?
Joseph Kony with abducted children
It started as a power struggle.
In 1986, the LRA was formed as a rebel group with a political agenda. Joseph Kony wished to overthrow Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and create his own state based on his interpretation of the biblical Ten Commandments. And according to former LRA fighters who have recently escaped, this is still Kony’s stated goal. However, as Kony increasingly victimized civilians and communities who refused to join him, support from his fellow Acholi in Northern Uganda faded. So, in 2006, Ugandan military forces successfully forced the LRA out of Uganda. The LRA has since moved into South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, and is currently terrorizing communities thousands of miles away from their original home.
Relocation altered his strategy.
According to recent escapees, some members of the LRA still believe in the goal of overthrowing the government of Uganda. It has even been said that Kony has gone so far as to promise different leadership positions to LRA commanders in exchange for their commitment to this stated goal. However, most members of the LRA have recognized the futility of this mission and many of the top commanders are simply trying to survive and avoid International Criminal Court (ICC) indictments. Disillusioned Ugandan fighters have left the group in increasing numbers, and the LRA’s ranks are being filled by abductees of different nationalities who have no personal connection to Kony’s original political mission. This phenomenon has served to further obscure the group’s aims, which have, in the past few years, narrowed to simply trying to stay alive.
Although the current tactics of the LRA suggest that it is now solely concerned with survival, Kony has been known to rebuild his fighting force after times of hardship. Joseph Kony and the LRA are weaker than ever — so now is the time to remove all LRA forces from the battlefield once and for all.
Next week we’ll learn who is really in charge within the LRA.
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