{UAH} What ever happened to African warlord Joseph Kony?

What ever happened to African warlord Joseph Kony?

• 2 DAYS AGO JUNE 12, 2014 11:32AM

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Increased efforts to arrest Kony1:51

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The Obama Administration announced its plans to deploy V-22 Osprey military aircraft to support efforts by the African Union to end the violence of the Lord's Resistance Army. Courtesy: Invisible Children

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YOU bought the T-shirt, liked the Facebook page, and watched the man who started it all have a very public naked breakdown.

And then you moved on.

It has been more than two years since Invisible Children's Stop Kony campaign went more viral than a global pandemic.

So what happened to Kony, the bloodthirsty African warlord who briefly transfixed the world?

Sums it up: This tweet was sent to the founder of the Kony 2012 campaign. Source: NewsComAu

Remind me: Who's Kony?

Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army. Picture: AP Source: News Limited

Joseph Kony is a former choirboy and the founder of the bloodthirsty guerilla organisation the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

He claims to be a spokesman of God and says he has had conversations with many spirits. Those ghosts must have been telling him some terrible things.

The list of the LRA's atrocities is long. Among them, mass murder, sex slavery, and the abduction of thousands of children, many who became child soldiers for his army.

The US says that the abduction of 200 Nigerian schoolgirls by terrorist group Boko Haram last month — highlighted by the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign — was inspired by Kony's cruel tactics.

What has he done since 2012?

He's been hiding from the cameras these past years. Source: NewsComAu

Well, plenty of hiding. As Michael Hayworth from Amnesty International quips: "Obviously, he hasn't been arrested."

But he has a track record of evading capture. After all, there have been calls for Kony's arrest from groups such as Amnesty since 1994.

The LRA continues to terrify parts of the world, particularly war-torn Central African Republic.

But there is good news.

According to Invisible Children, the number of LRA attacks in one region, the Congo, fell dramatically — by about 44 per cent — in 2013.

A number of key members of the LRA were reportedly killed last year, including his bodyguard and deputy leader.

Last year Kony also purportedly sent a letter to a Ugandan newspaper seeking forgiveness for his actions.

It was thought this would lead to conversations with local authorities. That did not happen.

Where is he now?

A US Army special forces Captain speaks with troops on the hunt for the LRA. Picture: AP Source: News Limited

The United Nations said in a report last month that Kony and several hundred supporters are believed to be holed up in a jungle region of South Sudan.

Some reports indicate the LRA's military power has been greatly reduced following an African Union and US military campaign.

The US ramped up its anti-Kony efforts in March, with President Obama ordering a powerful US military CV-22 Osprey aircraft to join the search.

A United Nations official told Voice of America he believed the warlord's capture was "coming pretty soon".

What are the people behind Kony2012 doing now?

Kony director's naked rant steals show0:58

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The public meltdown of Kony 2012 director Jason Russell sparked TV parodies.

Most of us last heard about the campaign 10 days after the video went viral, when Invisible Children's founder, Jason Russell, went on a naked, expletive-laden rampage on the streets of San Diego. He had suffered a psychotic breakdown.

A year after the incident, in an interview with The Guardian , Mr Russell blamed the immense pressure he felt after transforming from a total unknown to a global celebrity in days. 
Mr Russell was quoted saying: "The thing that sucks the most is that it gives people an excuse not to do anything.

"People are like, 'Didn't that filmmaker take all the money and then go crazy naked in the street?'"

Mr Russell is still involved with Invisible Children. In recent months, the organisation has flier-bombed areas occupied by the LRA providing recruits with instructions on how to peacefully surrender.

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This is a quote:
"Even if Joseph Kony was killed, that would not necessarily be the end of the war in northern Uganda because Kony is no more than a ' spiritual' leader of the LRA. This quick fix, arm-chair solution seemed to be from the Kampala-based 'opinion leaders' who only know the war through newspapers".

" Until the legitimate grievances and the marginalization of northern Uganda's communities are addressed, LRA fighters remain a possible vehicle for the expression of northerners' frustrations".

"Kony may never sign a peace agreement. Whether or not he signs, however, is less relevant to avoiding new conflict in northern Uganda than ending marginalization policies and fulfilling promises by the Ugandan government."

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