Blog Updates and inspiration

In 2000 Uganda’s government passed the Amnesty Act which legislated that LRA members who surrender to the UPDF and return to Uganda will not be prosecuted (with the exception of Kony and his top ICC-indicted commanders). For the rank and file LRA fighter, the promise of amnesty is one of the greatest incentives to try […]

It started simply enough. Three high school buddies were avid snow boarding enthusiasts and started crocheting their own beanies (they realize this sounds sort of strange: “Though it was not a normal hobby for high school guys, we reveled in the novelty of it.”) Fast forward 5+ years, and those three buddies run the very successful […]

Two days ago 60 Minutes aired a segment about the ongoing manhunt for Joseph Kony. It was an informative piece about the decades-long reign of Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and provided detailed accounts of the atrocities that have been committed under his command. Correspondent Lara Logan joined Ugandan soldiers and their U.S. military […]

Last week, we were excited to report the Obama Administration’s announcement that three top LRA commanders — Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen — were officially added to the State Department’s War Crimes Rewards Program. This enables the U.S. government to offer up to $5 million to anyone that provides information leading to the arrest or […]

On Wednesday morning, the Obama administration officially announced that it will be offering up to $5 million in rewards for information leading to the capture of top LRA commanders Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen. The reward comes with the expansion of the U.S. State Department’s War Crimes Rewards Program – an expansion that was mandated by the passage of […]

Yesterday we told you that important conversations are happening right now about whether the counter-LRA mission will continue. Those conversations are still happening, and still need our support. Because of you, John Kerry got a #kerrystopkony tweet every 19 seconds yesterday. It’s safe to say that he was reminded of his personal commitment to seeing […]

U.S. Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice, Stephen Rapp, announced the expansion of the State Department’s War Crimes Rewards program at 9:30pm PST today. Under this program — which is part of the broader Rewards for Justice program — the State Department is authorized to offer awards of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction […]

In 2007, moments after Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki was re-elected, much of the East African country was immersed in bloodshed. Thousands poured into the streets, outraged by the results of the widely controversial election. According to New York Times columnist Jeffrey Gettleman, “Western observers said Kenya’s election commission ignored undeniable evidence of vote rigging to keep the government in […]

From Invisible Children CEO Ben Keesey: “Today, the world learned that another top LRA commander, Vincent Binani Okumu was tracked, located and killed during a confrontation with the Ugandan military. Binani was known as one of Kony’s most brutal commanders who oversaw massacres and directed LRA forces in the abduction and killing of innocent civilians. […]

In a bipartisan decision, Congress passed an expansion to the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program with an emphasis on enhancing aims leading to the arrest of Joseph Kony and other LRA leaders. Today, President Obama signed legislation into law that would hold human rights offenders accountable for their crimes. The Washington Post reports: President Barack Obama signed legislation […]