UPDATE: Trial Moves Ahead for Former Deputy to Kony
The world is watching this week as the International Criminal Court (ICC) moves forward with the trial proceedings for Dominic Ongwen, former top commander of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Of course, everyone here at Invisible Children is watching, too. For some context, Ongwen was abducted by the LRA as a young boy in […]
What The Surrender of Dominic Ongwen Means to Me || By Ben Keesey
Reports surfaced on Tuesday that senior LRA commander and International Criminal Court (ICC) indictee Dominic Ongwen is in the custody of U.S. military forces in the Central African Republic (CAR), and that he may have surrendered voluntarily. If officially confirmed, this will be a defining moment in the mission to stop the Lord’s Resistance Army […]
How I Became an Activist // Reblog: Huffington Post
In the last few weeks, we’ve received countless messages from our friends and supporters, telling their stories of how Invisible Children has affected their life and purpose. This piece from Adam DeAngelis in the Huffington Post is one we found to be particularly inspiring. In the last 10 years, our media and mobilization projects have challenged young […]
Reblog // Ugandan troops clash with rebels in CAR
Tracking down Joseph Kony isn’t as cut and dry as it might seem. Not only does the LRA travel in dense and remote jungles, but they also operate in the same region as other rebel groups in Central African Republic (CAR). We’ve heard a recent report about Ugandan troops clashing with ex-Séléka rebels in CAR. […]
Photo Friday// Marie Francine
Today is World Refugee Day, and so today’s photo Friday is in recognition of the hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people as a result of LRA violence—and those who are doing something about it. This is Marie Francine. She and her husband live in Obo, a town in southeast Central African Republic […]
Sexual violence in war: testimonies of LRA survivors
Sexual violence is systematically being used as a weapon of war in the 21st century, including in the LRA conflict. It’s an issue shrouded in shame and taboo, and it thrives on silence. This week, a conference in London provided a platform for victims and advocates to speak out about the problem. The Global Summit […]
Congolese warlord to face trial
This week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) found substantial grounds to try former Congolese general Bosco Ntaganda for 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. If the prosecution finds him guilty, it could help pave the way for international players to bring other warlords like Joseph Kony to justice. Ntaganda led several violent rebel […]
Breaking cycles of violence starts with us
Movers & shakers, dreamers & peacemakers, this one’s for you. Here at Invisible Children we believe that the young people have the opportunity to end the wrongs of the past in order to demand a better future. We stand alongside our Millennial cohort across the world to say no to inequality, violence, and prejudice because […]
Invisible Children goes to China
Some of our staff recently had the opportunity to go to China. How come? I asked our mobilization and communications strategist Hailey Mitsui-Davis. Hi Hailey! So you and a couple of other Invisible Children staff recently returned from a trip to China. What were you guys doing out there? Ben, our CEO, Maggie, who works […]
UPDATE: Captured LRA Lt. Charles Okello once served as Joseph Kony’s security
On Monday, April 21, a UPDF (Ugandan People Defense Force) contingent of the AU-RTF (African Union Regional Task Force) captured LRA Lieutenant Charles Okello. Lt. Okello is a long standing mid-level LRA fighter who has been with the LRA since at least the 1990’s when the LRA war was still devastating northern Uganda. In the mid-1990’s […]