Blog Updates and inspiration

We often talk about our defection programs because so many returnees cite our “Come Home” fliers or messages as the reason they chose to leave the bush. But what happens after these people return home? Unfortunately, there is a serious disparity in resources dedicated to the rehabilitation and reintegration of former LRA members. Depending on age, […]

For almost 30 years, the LRA has been terrorizing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), South Sudan and Uganda. But how do community members, regional military, and humanitarian organizations distinguish LRA fighters from other rebels and bandits in the region? How we recognize an LRA fighter Uniform As we mentioned […]

Stories of LRA atrocities – including looting, displacement, rape, and abduction – have spread quickly through vulnerable communities in central Africa. To this day, hunters and fishermen enter fields and rivers with hesitation because of the LRA’s presence in the area. After 28 years of conflict, Kony’s army is still creating widespread fear. Here’s why. Displacement […]

Since 1986, the LRA has been forcibly abducting people to join its ranks. But as support for the rebels quickly faded and the ranks of the LRA diminished, Kony started giving orders for his combatants to abduct children. But why did he decide that child soldiers were the best way to wage his war against the Ugandan government? […]

Every day, an estimated 96 elephants are killed throughout Africa; this amounts to nearly 230,000 in the last 5 years. It is unlikely that African elephants will survive if the slaughter continues. The ivory trade is a devastating problem, and it also gives Joseph Kony’s forces the means to continue attacking innocent communities. How the […]

Over the past few weeks, the situation in LRA-affected areas has been relatively calm. Despite a recent resurgence of violence in the south of the Central African Republic (CAR), there have not been as many reported incidents, looting or attacks in the northern part of the country. While this is a welcome respite for the […]

Joseph Kony has been spreading terror across East and central Africa for 27 years; nine years ago, the International Criminal Court indicted him for his crimes, making him one of the most wanted men on the planet. Since then, the LRA has been able to hide and survive in some of the remotest parts of […]

In addition to the constant threat of attack and abduction, the LRA has presented vulnerable communities in central Africa with numerous institutional challenges. In recent years, the LRA’s survival strategies have shifted towards looting and stealing crops – threatening these communities’ food security on a huge scale. In fact, one of the worst consequences of the LRA’s […]

We’ve all read the headlines and heard the newscasts: the 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, and is primarily affecting the countries of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (all in West Africa). Here at Invisible Children, we are no strangers to the Ebola virus; in 2012, an outbreak spread across Uganda, personally affecting […]

The LRA conflict has wreaked havoc on central and East Africa for 27 years, leaving communities in desperate need of protection and rehabilitation. Throughout this time, the rebel group’s tactics have remained brutal and atrocious – children are forced to kill members of their own families and become soldiers (or even sex slaves). In recent […]