When The Walking Defeats You // A Look Into the LRA
“Killing seemed normal, another act in the struggle to stay alive.” – When the Walking Defeats You At the top of our winter reading list this year is the recently released story of George Omona, a former member of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). When The Walking Defeats You: One Man’s Journey as Joseph […]
LRA Crisis Tracker Monthly Security Brief | October 2016
Overview Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) forces abducted 44 civilians in eight attacks in October, among the lowest monthly totals recorded in 2016. Five of these attacks and nearly all of the abductions were likely committed by the LRA splinter group led by Achaye Doctor, which has been operating independently of Joseph Kony’s command since late 2014. […]
LRA Crisis Tracker Security Brief | 2016 Quarter 3
Overview Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) forces abducted 94 civilians in 38 attacks in Quarter 3 2016 (Q3 2016), covering the months of July–September 2016. Q3 levels of abductions and attacks were significantly lower than those in Q1 and Q2. Within Q3, September was the most violent month of LRA activity, with nearly double the number of abductions […]
Where Have The Elephants Gone? || The Great Elephant Census and END Wildlife Trafficking Act
In August, researchers released the Great Elephant Census, a report that reveals the extremely alarming impact poaching has on Africa’s savanna elephant population. The results of this census are a clear call to action to the entire international community. We must take significant steps through international policies and on-the-ground work to end the poaching and […]
Not enough African art in your life? We can help with that.
If you’re looking to expand your tastes in art, literature, and music…well, you’ve come to the right place. Many of the stories the rest of the world hears about Africa focus on the needs and challenges facing the continent. What we don’t hear enough about are all the rich ideas and achievements communities across Africa have […]
Ongwen Trial Update || ICC Prosecutor to Focus on Gender-Based Crimes
In early 2015, former LRA commander and International Criminal Court (ICC)-indictee Dominic Ongwen surrendered to security forces in the Central African Republic (CAR) and was later transferred to the custody of the ICC to await trial in The Hague, where he remains now that trial proceedings have begun. After being abducted by the LRA as […]
Flash Action Update || Two Family Reunions
In June, we broke the news that an LRA group released 12 women and children captives to a community member in DR Congo. This LRA group also sent along a message with the community member that they would release even more women and children, but only if they heard news over the local FM radio […]
Reblog // New Statesman: Kony is Africa’s Forgotten Scourge
“The conflict in northern Uganda is the biggest forgotten, neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today.” –Jan Egeland, former Under-Secretary-General of the UN During Kony 2012, we made Joseph Kony a household name and brought international attention to the atrocities committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Since that time, much of the hype and media attention […]
Honoring the Day of the African Child
On June 16, 1976, thousands of schoolchildren peacefully took to the streets of Soweto, in Johannesburg, South Africa. This protest, later known as the Soweto Uprising, has been memorialized as the Day of the African Child ever since 1991. It serves a reminder of the constant need for improved education services for children across the African continent. […]
A new beginning // Ochora Walter
Every child abducted by Joseph Kony’s rebel army is robbed of his childhood and a normal life — until he escapes. This is the story of a new beginning. Almost 10 years after he was abducted into Joseph Kony’s LRA, Ochora Walter is happy to finally be home. The rebel group forced Walter to fight […]