KONY 101 // WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE THE LRA?
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, […]
#KonyinKingi Update: Your Actions Worked
“While much work remains to end the scourge of the LRA, the United States and our partners look forward to the day when no child is stolen from his or her family, robbed of his or her dignity, and forced into a life of violence.” -Ambassador Samantha Power, speaking to the UNSC on Dec. 10, […]
On the Radar: 10 abducted in CAR – 7 escape, 2 children remain in captivity
Around 3 p.m. on December 2nd, a large group of LRA forces abducted five civilians from fields near Kpabou, Central African Republic. They then continued on to the community itself, where they abducted five more civilians and looted food and the HF radio battery. The LRA used the abductees as porters for the looted goods. […]
KONY 101 // HOW DO WE RECOGNIZE LRA FIGHTERS AND ATTACKS?
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 […]
UPDATE : 19-year-old escaped from LRA // Walked 11 days alone in the bush to safety
On Saturday a 19-year-old male, Issa Guy Parfait, escaped from the LRA after more than a year in captivity. Guy was abducted in July of 2013 from his home in the Central African Republic on his way back from working in the peanut fields. He was taken along with two other young males and […]
KONY 101 // Why do communities continue to fear Kony?
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 […]
Kony orders LRA to poach elephants, smuggle ivory
Today Invisible Children published a press statement, together with our partners at The Resolve LRA Crisis Initiative and The Enough Project, which sheds light on Joseph Kony’s involvement in the illegal trade of ivory, gold and diamonds in central Africa. Our organizations have collected significant evidence that continues to confirm that the has been LRA collecting and […]
KONY 101 // WHY DID KONY START ABDUCTING CHILDREN?
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? […]
The LRA poaches elephants to survive
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 […]
Out of Alibis: Now is the Time to End the LRA Conflict for Good
For the last 10 years, Joseph Kony has not been an easy man to find. He has crisscrossed thousands of miles of central African wilderness on foot, managing to elude persistent military pursuit and an indictment issued by the International Criminal Court. That is why, in light of the recent LRA Crisis Tracker report placing […]