#Kony2012

In a search for pertinent and factual information, a Youtube video with over 80 million views is rarely the first place to look. And yet, KONY 2012 and the movement that has formed behind it have assumed a role that integrates the global community and adeptly focuses its attention on a very large political issue—the Uganda civil war. Now despite a moving half-hour clip and outraged social networkers emphatically insisting that “KONY is a jerk”, “This ain’t even Funny ! #RealTalk” and that “what [Kony] is doing is unexceptable” (his spelling error, not mine), I admit I remained slightly skeptical, and decided to learn for myself whether I should be sporting an “Invisible Children” shirt in the near future.

Invisible Children advocates the capture of Joseph Kony

            Here’s the background. Uganda obtained independence in 1963. Yoweri Museveni became the leader of the new government—the National Resistance Movement—and despite its success in replacing the former regime, it had difficulty instigating successful programs that provided structure of economic development for certain areas. Namely, the north. In this region of Uganda, live the Acholi people. Long time military supporters of the former regime and dissatisfied with the current conditions, it was from here that rebellion first sparked within the country. Using prevalent religious beliefs to engender faith, the Holy Sprit Movement, led by Alice Lakwena first gained prominence, but after a devastating defeat by the NRA (that’s the National Resistance Army), the cousin of Alice took control of the rebellion: a man by the name of Joseph Kony.

            From this point, in 1985, Kony formed his organization, known as the Lord’s Resistance Army, and took to the bush. Since then he has moved through Africa, setting up bases in Uganda, different regions of Sudan, and Congo. During this time, they have been tracked by a military faction of the National Resistance government known as the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (hereafter referred to as UPDF). However, there were additional forces. Shockingly, there was enough political motivation to send U.S. military force into Uganda even before Kony 2012. In answer to Uganda’s supplication, during the Bush Administration, the U.S. placed Kony on a “terror exclusion list” and sent helicopters to assist in his capture.

            No such luck. Kony continued to move across the countryside, being chased by the government for 23 years and raiding villages, capturing children and forcing the boys into his army and the girls into sex slavery, often forcing recruits to rape their mothers and kill their parents. Considering these abhorrent acts, it seems there is no doubt that we must continue to hunt down Joseph Kony. His feared killing squads have butchered tens of thousands and have displaced more than two million innocent civilians that lie between an armed government and an angry rebellion.

            Consider the failed Operation North in 1991 against Kony in northern Uganda, or the failed Operation Iron Fist in 2002 which caused him to relocate to Sudan but did no other damage, or the failed Operation Lightning Thunder in 2008 in which the army missed Kony by minutes and returned with only a guitar, a wig, three rifles, and cooking utensils—perhaps good finds at a garage sale but slightly sub-par when referring to a high-precision military strike. Every attempt by the UPDF to capture Kony has failed and even Obama who in late 2011 issued 100 US combat troops to Uganda to “take Kony out of the warzone” seems to have made no measurable progress. This would not be important if there no consequences. However, each time this strikes fail, the LRA increases its violence and retaliates against innocent citizens. In one particular kill or capture mission the U.S. sent helicopters, MiG fighters, and commandos, but Kony escaped once again and eight days later retaliated by clubbing 1000 Congonese villagers to death, burning their village to the ground and forcing about 250,000 other villagers to relocate. We walk a fine line, and any time—and every time, so far—we screw up, more are sacrificed.

            This isn’t to say we’ve only tried blowing him to smitherines, the U.S. has instigated peace talks, yet each time, nothing is accomplished and the only circumstances under which Kony will accept these premises are if the U.S. agrees not to prosecute him. Something, that frankly, will never happen. More than that, the LRA has no political agenda and only works to further the ten commandments—which ironically, they break every day—so there are no demands for us to meet and they seem to continue to plunder villages aimlessly. After the most recent attack, Kony’s organization has laid low, but the U.S. suspects that he plans for his next move. During this lull, the U.S. must plan ours. Continuing our attacks is a series of risks that if it pays off, eliminates the LRA and restores peace to Uganda, and if it doesn’t, sacrifices the lives of more citizens. Or we withdraw and allow them to be slaughtered anyway.

            Considering all that the U.S. has been doing in an attempt to capture/kill Joseph Kony, the organization Invisible Children and their Kony 2012 mission seem a little superfluous, redundant even. Perhaps they just want to spread awareness or, more likely, deter through popular support the withdrawal of American troops for Uganda—neither of which may be possible after cofounder Jason Russell’s trouser-less escapade. Despite their shortcomings; however, Invisible Children has rallied the support of millions in favor of changing the static conditions in Uganda, and whatever the outcome, we all know that “this ain’t even funny #realtalk”.

 In a search for pertinent and factual information, a Youtube video with over 80 million views is rarely the first place to look. And yet, KONY 2012 and the movement that has formed behind it have assumed a role that integrates the global community and adeptly focuses its attention on a very large political issue—the Uganda civil war. Now despite a moving half-hour clip and outraged social networkers emphatically insisting that “KONY is a jerk”, “This ain’t even Funny ! #RealTalk” and that “what [Kony] is doing is unexceptable” (his spelling error, not mine), I admit I remained slightly skeptical, and decided to learn for myself whether I should be sporting an “Invisible Children” shirt in the near future.

Joseph Kony--leader of the LRA

            Here’s the background. Uganda obtained independence in 1963. Yoweri Museveni became the leader of the new government—the National Resistance Movement—and despite its success in replacing the former regime, it had difficulty instigating successful programs that provided structure of economic development for certain areas. Namely, the north. In this region of Uganda, live the Acholi people. Long time military supporters of the former regime and dissatisfied with the current conditions, it was from here that rebellion first sparked within the country. Using prevalent religious beliefs to engender faith, the Holy Sprit Movement, led by Alice Lakwena first gained prominence, but after a devastating defeat by the NRA (that’s the National Resistance Army), the cousin of Alice took control of the rebellion: a man by the name of Joseph Kony.

            From this point, in 1985, Kony formed his organization, known as the Lord’s Resistance Army, and took to the bush. Since then he has moved through Africa, setting up bases in Uganda, different regions of Sudan, and Congo. During this time, they have been tracked by a military faction of the National Resistance government known as the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (hereafter referred to as UPDF). However, there were additional forces. Shockingly, there was enough political motivation to send U.S. military force into Uganda even before Kony 2012. In answer to Uganda’s supplication, during the Bush Administration, the U.S. placed Kony on a “terror exclusion list” and sent helicopters to assist in his capture.

            No such luck. Kony continued to move across the countryside, being chased by the government for 23 years and raiding villages, capturing children and forcing the boys into his army and the girls into sex slavery, often forcing recruits to rape their mothers and kill their parents. Considering these abhorrent acts, it seems there is no doubt that we must continue to hunt down Joseph Kony. His feared killing squads have butchered tens of thousands and have displaced more than two million innocent civilians that lie between an armed government and an angry rebellion.

            Consider the failed Operation North in 1991 against Kony in northern Uganda, or the failed Operation Iron Fist in 2002 which caused him to relocate to Sudan but did no other damage, or the failed Operation Lightning Thunder in 2008 in which the army missed Kony by minutes and returned with only a guitar, a wig, three rifles, and cooking utensils—perhaps good finds at a garage sale but slightly sub-par when referring to a high-precision military strike. Every attempt by the UPDF to capture Kony has failed and even Obama who in late 2011 issued 100 US combat troops to Uganda to “take Kony out of the warzone” seems to have made no measurable progress. This would not be important if there no consequences. However, each time this strikes fail, the LRA increases its violence and retaliates against innocent citizens. In one particular kill or capture mission the U.S. sent helicopters, MiG fighters, and commandos, but Kony escaped once again and eight days later retaliated by clubbing 1000 Congonese villagers to death, burning their village to the ground and forcing about 250,000 other villagers to relocate. We walk a fine line, and any time—and every time, so far—we screw up, more are sacrificed.

Uganda remains war torn by the opposing forces of the
government and Joseph Kony

            This isn’t to say we’ve only tried blowing him to smitherines, the U.S. has instigated peace talks, yet each time, nothing is accomplished and the only circumstances under which Kony will accept these premises are if the U.S. agrees not to prosecute him. Something, that frankly, will never happen. More than that, the LRA has no political agenda and only works to further the ten commandments—which ironically, they break every day—so there are no demands for us to meet and they seem to continue to plunder villages aimlessly. After the most recent attack, Kony’s organization has laid low, but the U.S. suspects that he plans for his next move. During this lull, the U.S. must plan ours. Continuing our attacks is a series of risks that if it pays off, eliminates the LRA and restores peace to Uganda, and if it doesn’t, sacrifices the lives of more citizens. Or we withdraw and allow them to be slaughtered anyway.

            Considering all that the U.S. has been doing in an attempt to capture/kill Joseph Kony, the organization Invisible Children and their Kony 2012 mission seem a little superfluous, redundant even. Perhaps they just want to spread awareness or, more likely, deter through popular support the withdrawal of American troops for Uganda—neither of which may be possible after cofounder Jason Russell’s trouser-less escapade. Despite their shortcomings; however, Invisible Children has rallied the support of millions in favor of changing the static conditions in Uganda, and whatever the outcome, we all know that “this ain’t even funny #realtalk”.