A new wave of LRA defections
After 16 years of fighting with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), 33-year old Francis made the choice to come home last month. He surrendered to a local hunter on October 23rd, barefoot in a tattered suit, just 6km away from Obo, CAR. In his hands were an IC-produced defection flier, which he initially held over […]
The Defection Projection
As part of Invisible Children’s ongoing promotion of safe surrenders for LRA combatants, our design team has partnered with Acholi leadership in Uganda to create defection fliers. By using photos and quotes from recent escapees, these fliers directly target and reach out to LRA groups and encourage them to peacefully surrender. We work with various […]
UPDATE: LRA reportedly abduct 55 in Central African Republic
UPDATE — On September 10, nine days after the reported abduction of 55 people in CAR, it has been confirmed that 53 of those people were released from LRA captivity. A fact-finding mission organized by local authorities confirmed both the initial abduction and the report of the 53 released victims. The two abductees who did […]
Resolve: A look at LRA abduction patterns
An informative, thought-provoking piece on LRA abduction patterns from Paul Ronan at Resolve, one of our DC-based advocacy partners: The LRA has long been associated with child soldiers, and rightfully so – UNICEF estimates that the LRA has abducted at least 35,000 children since 1986. But LRA Crisis Tracker data on abductions […]
On the Radar: LRA Crisis Tracker updates
The LRA Crisis Tracker is a real-time mapping platform and data collection system created to bring an unprecedented level of transparency to the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Using information sourced from Invisible Children’s Early Warning Radio Network, UN agencies, and local NGOs, this tool allows for better response from governments, policy-makers, and humanitarian […]
Evolution of crisis mapping
The field of crisis mapping is a relatively new field, but there’s no denying that it’s growing and having a significant impact on the world. The advantages of crisis mapping are extensive: they offer a way for information to be published directly and instantly from the target region (called crowd-sourcing), they allow for massive amounts […]
LRA Crisis Tracker: mid-year analysis
The LRA Crisis Tracker, a joint project of Invisible Children and Resolve, just released its Mid-Year Security Brief (PDF). Below we highlight a couple of trends and conclusions that we can see in LRA activity. Resolve’s blog has a full summary of the conclusions. LRA abductions are increasing, but trends indicate they’re mostly abducting people […]
LRA lieutenant defects
It has been confirmed that Caesar Achellam’s bodyguard, a LRA lieutenant, defected near Mboki, CAR. Reportedly, he surrendered because of threats on his life from LRA members who accused him of deliberately allowing Achellam to be captured. This was accompanied by the report of 5 other LRA officers defecting with the bodyguard. Since Caesar Achellam’s […]
On The Radar: LRA Crisis Tracker updates
The LRA Crisis Tracker is a real-time mapping platform and data collection system created to bring an unprecedented level of transparency to the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Using information sourced from Invisible Children’s Early Warning Radio Network, UN agencies, and local NGOs, this tool allows for better response from governments, policy-makers, and humanitarian […]
The story of a 19-year-old girl who escaped the LRA
In February of 2012, Invisible Children spoke with a 19-year old former LRA abductee* in the Central African Republic (CAR) who was forced to become one of Joseph Kony’s 40+ wives at the age of 16. She explained how the combination of FM radio broadcasts and defection leaflets gave her the courage to finally escape, […]