Joseph Kony is the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a group responsible for atrocities against mankind. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court and is being tracked and hunted by over 100 Special Forces from the United States and local troops in four different African countries. A video of Kony and his group has gone viral on the internet because of the advocacy group known as the Invisible Children.
The video lasts 30 minutes and was released on Monday. Since then it has already acquired 32 million views. Col. Felix Kulayigye said, “Kony is a monster. He deserves to be prosecuted and hanged.”
Kony’s troop size used to be in the thousands but experts believe that the numbers are around 250 soldiers now. The group kidnaps children and either turns them into soldiers or sex slaves. They have to kill their parents sometimes or each other in order to survive. The group currently operates in South Sudan, Congo and the Central African Republic.
In 1986, Jolly Okot was abducted by the group because she could speak English and was forced to become a sex slave. Okot is now the country director for Invisible Children in Uganda.
“The most exciting thing about this film is that I’m so grateful that the world has been able to pay attention to an issue that has long been neglected,” Okot said. “I think it is an eye-opener and I think this will push for Joseph Kony to be apprehended, and I think justice will get to him.”
Over the past 26 years, the rebel group has been responsible for thousands of killings and mutilations. The top U.S. special operations commander in Africa, Rear Adm. Brian L. Losey, said that U.S. troops are stationed in Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Uganda to aid in the fight against Kony and his group.
Ruhakana Rugunda, an Ugandan diplomat, said, “Kony gives you the impression that he is harmless, that he cannot catch a fly.”
