Joseph Koni, What is Happening?

Prior to my post of 7th march 2012, I had heard sporadic stories about the group that called itself, the Lord's Resistance Army. A lot of atrocities, some with a supernatural twist accompanied a lot of the reports. The abduction of children dominated a lot these, together with reports of torture and mutilation of the civilian populace by the LRA who were led by a man called Joseph Koni. These crimes by Africans upon fellow Africans from the same region outraged and saddened me.

Jason Russell's slick documentary on behalf of Invisible Children Inc., to address the outrage and focus world attention on Joseph Koni on 20th April this year seemed an ideal solution. The documentary went viral on YouTube shortly after my blog post and a lot of famous people and celebrities in show business joined in the campaign to bring the issue of Koni to the attention of the whole world. 

There have been different reactions to the documentary and the campaign to make Joseph Koni famous. This campaign was subsequently derailed when Mr Russell had a breakdown of some sort and was filmed wandering around stark naked on the streets of San Diego. Public attention and perception now seems to have changed, relegating the campaign to stop the brutalizing of the children of Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic to the back burner. Although some argue that Koni is dead, the problem of war and child abduction still exists in that region of Africa. So what exactly is happening?

Below, is my post of 7th March 2012: 

The campaign earmarked for 20th April 2012 has been designed to stop the leader of a sinister rebel group who call themselves the Lords resistance army. This group has been operating in the Ugandan bush and its environ for years. Their leader Joseph Koni enjoys a reputation for brutality and mercilessness. The main stock in trade of this sinister group has been the kidnapping of children who are then turned into child soldiers. The continued existence of Joseph Koni and his bloodthirsty agenda is amazing to me.

In an era of enlightenment, thanks to the advancement of technology whereby our planet seems to have shrunk, I find it hard to believe that one individual can escape being caught and put on trial by the international community for crimes against humanity. There is a campaign that is gradually gathering momentum and will reach a climax on the 20th of April, this year to bring the world's attention to bear on Mr Koni and his rebel army. In short it is to make Joseph Koni famous.

The legend of Koni and his group surfaced many, many years ago when they acquired a reputation of possessing supernatural powers. The people of the region believed that the Lords resistance army had charms that could stop bullets, and also that the LRA soldiers could disappear at will from the battlefield, thereby making them immune to attack from the Ugandan national army. Of course this type of reputation is worth its weight in gold and it could only have helped this rebel group.

Nobody really knows what the LRA is fighting for or against. It has been said that Koni claims to have no ideology or cause and it is believed he just revels in creating havoc. I suspect there is more to learn about the LRA and there are people in the shadows, who arm and finance this group. Who are the bankers and suppliers and what are their motives?

I worry that even if Joseph Koni is stopped, somebody else will step into his shoes and continue the brutality. There seems to be a lot that we don't know about the LRA and what makes it tick. All everyone seems to know is their brutality. I support any moves that will bring peace and stability to the continent of Africa and solutions must include blueprints and plans that will ensure that situations as these do not occur again or rear their ugly heads elsewhere.

How I ask myself, do the arms dealers who arm Mr Koni make contact? How are they paid? Where do the rebels get the funds to buy these arms? Who are the people who have the most to gain by the destabilization of the region that these rebels operate within? If western intelligence agencies don't have the answers to the above questions, they should. Someone out there, is modifying assault rifles to fit into little hands (i.e. children).

Most of the arms used in conflicts in Africa, are manufactured outside the continent. The world must be serious in pursuing and exposing those that arm the likes of Joseph Koni and his army. Anyone known to be promoting the agenda of the LRA should also be exposed on 20th April

Peace to all,

'Bodederek