Joseph Kony

Joseph Kony, born in 1961, is a notorious Ugandan militant and warlord, best known for founding the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Peacekeepers, the European Union, and several governments, including those of the United Kingdom and the United States.

As an Acholi, Kony's early life included serving as an altar boy. Following the Ugandan Civil War, he became involved in the insurgency against President Yoweri Museveni, initially participating in the Holy Spirit Movement and the Uganda People's Democratic Army before establishing the LRA in 1987. His aim was to create a Christian state based on dominion theology, which led to a multi-decade insurgency marked by severe human rights violations.

Kony's actions have resulted in the abduction of approximately sixty-six thousand children, forcing them into roles as child soldiers and sex slaves, while displacing around two million people internally from 1986 to 2009. In 2005, he was indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, yet he has managed to evade capture, remaining one of Africa's most wanted warlords.

After facing intense military pressure from the Ugandan army and a peace deal between Sudan and southern rebels, Kony was forced to flee Uganda, primarily residing in South Sudan between two thousand five and two thousand six. Although the LRA ceased operations in Uganda following the Juba peace talks in two thousand six, reports suggest that Kony and his remaining forces have relocated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, or South Sudan.

As of two thousand thirteen, Kony was reported to be in poor health, with claims of negotiations for his surrender. By April two thousand seventeen, his forces had dwindled to approximately one hundred soldiers, a significant decrease from an estimated three thousand at their peak. Both the United States and Uganda have since ceased their pursuit of Kony, believing the LRA no longer poses a significant threat to Uganda. As of two thousand twenty-two, he is believed to be hiding in Darfur.