The Invisible of Uganda’s War
Invisible children, Because there are no records kept of their numbers or age. Because their own armies deny there existence, and invisible because they simply vanish.
Today there are invisible children all over the world, and because they are invisible we often have no idea that they are out there, and that they exist. In this paper I will go more in depth than what meets the eye about the Invisible Children of Uganda. Who they are and why they are invisible. Who the rebel leader is and why he continues to terrorize not only Uganda but the surrounding countries. Question why we aren’t doing more and what we can do to help end the longest running war in Africa, help free the child soldiers and bring justice to Joseph Kony.

When children become involved in armed conflict they often become the most challenging to help support let alone see because even if the country at war becomes a front page headline they are the ones that are always neglected and receive the least amount of attention. They’re tragedy of innocents lost is hidden and continues to be hidden right under our noses.
Most people in America would believe we have enough of our own “children fighter” issues, pointing fingers towards the gang bangers who carry around guns and collaborate in gangs or drug circles, but it is found more often than not, that these kids have an alternative root to becoming the fighters. The child soldiers in Uganda don’t, have any other choice. For the past 23 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) lead by Joseph Kony, the “Hitler”(if you will) of Africa and the Ugandan Government have been waging a war that has left approximately 2 million innocent civilians caught in a tide. The Government has tried to protect the citizens of Uganda from Joseph Kony’s rebel militia but has impart, failed miserably, ending with the result of a whole generation never knowing what peace really meant.
The Beginning of Joseph Kony’s LRA militia can be linked back through a woman named Alice Lakwena. During the 1980’s, Alice believed that a Holy Spirit spoke to her and ordered her to overthrow the current Ugandan government for being unjust to the Acholi people. Lakwena along with her followers, where known as the Holy Spirit Movement, but eventually fell apart when Lakwena was exiled, leaving no leader and much uncertainty.(www.invisiblechildren.com, Innocents lost pg 110)
Soon after Lakwena’s exile, Joseph Kony stepped into the leader position claiming that he was Lakwena’s cousin. He took control, transformed her rebel army and made it into today’s current rebel army,The LRA. Kony’s hopes of having the same followers continue on with him failed as soon the support system decided to stop supporting, Kony and his rebels leading to resort of abducting children and indoctrinating them into their ranks of the infamous LRA. (www.invisiblechildren.com, Innocents lost pg 110)

From 1986 when Museveni, the current president of Uganda first started the Ugandan People’s Democratic Army (UPDA) and lead them against Kony, to 1996. Kony, continued to lead the LRA in attacks on numerous villages, eventually forcing the Ugandan government to evict thousands from their homes and place them in overcrowded displacement camps. These camps first where made with hopes of providing protection, but have found to be failing because of drastic conditions. Even a decade later there are approximately 1 million still living in these camps with an estimated 1,000 dying each week trying to survive the effect of rampant disease, abject poverty and near-certain starvation. (“The Rescue”, Invisible Children Documentary, www.invisiblechildren.com)
In more recent years, Kony’s rebellion and the effects of it have attracted more and more international attention and also more awareness towards this long lived crisis, known as “the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today”. (www.invisiblechildren.com)
In 2001, the US patriot Act officially had declared that the LRA was indeed, a terrorist organization. Although many considered this a horror statement because Kony is and was gaining much power, it was also considered a huge step towards drawing needed attention to the issues, conflict, and atrocities that where being continued by the LRA. In 2004, Congress finally was able to pass the Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act, this was the first piece of American Legislation to address this matter. Later, in 2005 the act of Kony’s warfare earned him the ticket to become the first wanted man by The ICC, International Criminal Court. (www.invisblechildren.com, Inocents lost Pg. 141)
Continuing pressure from the world’s international community, along with a strong hope and desire to secure peace once again in Uganda, the Ugandan Government and the LRA tried negotiating on numerous occasions. Kony himself said the following about peace treaties, “I need also not to fight again with Uganda Government. I’m going to see that everything is perfect, there is going to be peace” Although Kony has agreed to meet up for peace meetings the LRA and UG have yet to find their long waited for resolution. (“The Rescue”, Invisible Children Documentary)

One of the more recent peace talks occurred in Juba Sudan early July 2006, leading to a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement which was signed. In the next year the US State appointed Tim Shortly to Senior Advisor for the Conflict Resolution in response to a growing concern for peace in northern Uganda by the American people, this lead to a more solidified commitment on the US’s side to help end the current and past conflict peacefully. Later, That same year, the United Kingdom would take their part and join in on the commitment for peace by allocating £70 million in aid. Germany then followed by committing a 25% increase in aid to Uganda by October 2010. Canada, came in later that year and became more than a just an international supporter of the peace process by joining in on the peace talks as one of the official observers. While all of this was going on, the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement had expired and Joseph Kony failed once again to sign on the Final Peace Agreement, this would be his fourth time standing up the treaty, leading all find his promises of peace misleading and ending the peace talks for the time being. This unknown of Kony wanting peace or war haunts not only those who live in Uganda and the displacement camps but the entirety of the northern eastern boarder including the South Sudan, Central African Republic and the DR Congo and continues to today.
(www.invisiblechildren.com)
In September 2008, the amounts of hostility in the Orientale province in DR Congo and Western Equatorial in South Sudan reached a high point. The LRA attacks became even more frequent than normal and even more hostile than ever. This hostility lead to the military to taking serious action against the rebel army and a joint army consisting of Uganda, South Sudan, DR Congo and Central African Republic. Together this joint army undertook “Operation Lighting Thunder” which became unsuccessful and lead to a horrific LRA attack on Christmas day 2008. The attack was operated to spread even more terror into the DR Congo after losing a bit of edge during the war a month earlier. In this one attack alone, the LRA murdered well over six hundred people and abducted more than one hundred and sixty children. Since this attack more than one hundred four thousand Congolese have been displaced in attempts to escape the continuing LRA attacks. (www.invisiblechildren.com)
Motives of the LRA day by day are becoming more and more unclear along with the crimes they commit becoming more horrific than the last one.
Today it is estimated that more than 90% of the LRA troops are abducted children, and there is little explanation to why Kony continues. Trying to find some reason or event that must have triggered him to lead such an army, I tried looking back upon his past but found very little is explained towards his rash actions today. (“The Rescue”, Invisible Children Documentary)
Joseph Kony was born unther the name of , Lakony Joseph Aringa and was born on September 18th 1964 to two farmers from Odek in Omora County in the district of Gulu. Kony’s parents mainly grew cotton, as well as maize, sweet potatoes and cassava. His house hold consisted of about five to ten children, in which Kony was the Oldest. (Innocents Lost, Pg.110)
He got along with his siblings for the most part, and had a nurturing mother who would often gather them around and tell them stories and advice about leading a happy and successful life.
When Jimmie Briggs (author of Innocents Lost) a villager about Kony in his youth his response was:
“[Kony]” had compassion for people and was friendly” said a man who knew Kony in his youth. “He used to help in the community, what we call alea. If someone needed help to cultivate their land or build a grass-roof hut, he was front in line.” (Innocents Lost, when Children Soldiers Go to War, pg.111)
Kony was also described as an introvert and didn’t speak very much. He never really expressed any particular ambitions and the furthest he ever went in school was P6, which here in America is the equivalent of the 7th grade. His dropping out of the school was all his choice and not effected so by money issues, it was just simply because he didn’t want to go anymore.
The More I looked into his past to find something to link with is current lifestyle, the less I could find, only two issues that might raise an eyebrow where first the event, a committed offense against another boy in the village. The offense occurred when young Kony was out in the bush along with a group of boys searching for fruit and berries. Among this group was Kony’s rival. Searching for fruit the rival began to climb a tree and climbed up towards a branch he claimed all for himself because it seemed to be the heaviest with fruit. Kony, out of envy then shot him in the buttocks with his bow and arrow, sending the rival hurling to the ground. Later as punishment Kony, was taken to the gumullah( county chief), and caned in front of all the boys. In his community it was known that whenever a person did something extremely disdained, a melody was composed retailing to the incident. This would follow Kony where ever he went, but he never talked more about the matter. (Innocents Lost, Pg. 112, 113)
The second event that I believe could have effected where Joseph Kony is today is that of the result of dropping out of school. Soon after he did so much of his family and friends realized how unruly he had become. Kony’s parents denied granting his wishes to join the army. If Kony had done so without their blessing and approval, the culture would have considered it an omen of bad things to come. After his parents refusing to support his wants Kony stopped listening to them, when asked to do his normal chores around the house he would simply give them to other children in the household while he hung out at the trading center until late in the evening. (Innocents Lost, Pg. 113)
Other than these few stories I haven’t been able to find real reason for my growing question of why, and what lead to this I also have a question for other nations including our own about why haven’t taken more action? The US up to this point has done very little to help this war come to an end. My question is why do we focus only on what might affect us immediately? Why don’t we do more to help these people who have been at war for 23 years, lost hundreds upon thousands upon even millions of people? And why don’t we try and do anything about the well over 30,000 children that have been abducted? I’m sure there are good reasons and I know that we cannot save the whole world, but why exactly is this being put on a shelf, so to say? Isn’t it just as important? I can’t exactly answer these questions for myself because first the US has to say something more on the matter. I just know that a cry like Jacobs, (an escaped child soldier )shouldn’t go quietly. He along with the organization Invisible Children share part of his story in a documentary.
Jacob was abducted at the age of 12, he tried hopelessly to escape but soon found that if you do escape the LRA will just find you again and kill you. Jacob went through many trials, on one account he recalled the killing of his older brother. “ My brother tried to escape, then they kill him using a panga.. They cut his neck… I saw [it]. I tried to crya but they said that when I cry they are going to kill me.” (“The Rescue” Invisible Children Documentary)
Later in the documentary they ask Jacob one final question, a question that most would rather hear unanswered, Interviewer: “You would rather die than stay on earth?”. Jacob: “Yes”
Interviewer: “Now, Even now?” Jacob” Even now, how are we going to stay in our future? We are only two, no one taking care of us.” (“The Rescue” Invisible Children Documentary)

Jacob concludes breaking down in tears after his profound statement, this poor child although among the lucky to escape, lives every day in fear. Hiding and praying that he won’t become abducted again. Now, after all the research I have done for this project, I have never found myself so shocked with how unresponsive some of the world has become to some of the most inhumane acts, but there is still hope. There are few around the world that unites to fight against the inhumane of Joseph Kony and his LRA rebellion. The few who spend their time caring, and are trying to get the world caught up to speed in the awareness of need.
For the last two months I have been following one of these organization called Invisible Children.
Invisible children all started with three young filmmakers from CA who traveled over to Africa in search of some stories for their art, but as they traveled over their motives changed. They discovered the unseen and unheard of the child soldiers. They devoted their time spent in Africa towards documenting stories of the people and children that had escaped, shortly after returning to the states they created they’re first documentary entitled “Invisible Children: Rough Cut”. The word then spread from this one documentary and started rising awareness, even so much that they created Invisible Children, Inc the nonprofit company that we see today promoting peace in Uganda. (www.invisiblechildren.com)
As A non-profit organization, Invisible children work toward turnning apathy into activism. Their documents create an opportunity for people to become of a movement that responds to current issues in the world. All of their programming is in a direct partnership between those who at IC and those that live in Ugandan Communities. They have developed programs to help children take responsibility for their future and the future of their country, they address the needs of the community for mentorships, redevelopment of schools, education, and resettlement from camp and also provide ways for the community to make a living by providing jobs.
Another way they arise awareness is through peace rallies, just a few days ago in 100 cities that spread across 10 different countries they put on the Rescue. The Rescue brought thousands from all over the world together under one united cause to rescue Joseph Kony’s child soldiers.
In each city across the world thousands “abducted” themselves as if they where the children soldiers themselves. The abducted met at a designated area and then joined hold of a rope to walk an average of 3 miles to their “LRA” camps. Once there the abducted wrote letters, made art projects and waited for a media mogul to come out and “Rescue” them. Donation Jars where passed around all throughout the night.
Many cities waited only a few hours for their media coverage and mogul to come out to “Rescue them while others are still waiting to be rescued. Chicago, IL four days later is still standing strong waiting for their state rep. to say that they support Uganda and the fight for Children Soldiers. I myself was lucky enough to be able to participate in the rally in SLC this past Saturday and have gained so much from the experiences I had. Not only did I gain from it, but as a whole we gained more awareness and support for this growing issue that has been unseen and unheard for too long.
Why are they Invisible? Because there are no records kept of their numbers or age. Because their own armies deny there existence, and invisible because they simply vanish.
Will the longest war in Africa come to an end and will the children soldiers ever be set free? The answer is unclear, but if Nations, Countries, or even individuals like those who started Invisible Children listen and fight for a cause then we might someday see the end to Africa’s longest war, bring the children soldier s home and bring Joseph Kony to justice.