View source for Joseph Kony

{{pp-pc|small=yes}}
{{Short description|Head of the Lord's Resistance Army (born 1961)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Joseph Kony
| children            = 42 (as of 2006), including [[Ali Kony|Ali]] and Salim<ref name="Debut">{{cite news |url=http://www.mg.co.za/article/2006-02-10-portrait-of-ugandas-rebel-prophet-painted-by-wives |title=Portrait of Uganda's rebel prophet, painted by wives |newspaper=[[Mail & Guardian]] |first=Beatrice |last=Debut |date=10 February 2006 |access-date=7 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307090825/http://mg.co.za/article/2006-02-10-portrait-of-ugandas-rebel-prophet-painted-by-wives |archive-date=7 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| term_end            = 
| term_start          = August 1987
| battles             = [[Lord's Resistance Army insurgency]]
| rank                = [[General officer|General]]
| serviceyears        = 1987–present
| branch              = 
| allegiance          = [[Lord's Resistance Army]]
| data1               = 
| blank1              = Religion
| relatives           = 
| native_name         = 
| parents             = 
| birth_place         = [[Odek]], [[Protectorate of Uganda]]
| birth_date          = {{Birth year and age|1961|09}}
| successor1          = 
| predecessor1        = ''Office established''
| caption             = 
| image               = 
| image_size          = 250px
| order               = Head of the [[Lord's Resistance Army]]
| native_name_lang    = 
| death_cause         = 
}}
'''Joseph Rao Kony''' (born September 1961) is a Ugandan militant and [[warlord]] who founded the [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA), designated as a terrorist group by the [[MONUSCO|United Nations Peacekeepers]], the [[European Union]], and various other governments including the [[United Kingdom]] and [[United States]].

An [[Acholi people|Acholi]], Kony served as an [[altar boy]] in his childhood. After the [[Ugandan Bush War|Ugandan Civil War]], Kony participated in the subsequent [[War in Uganda (1986–1994)|insurgency]] against president [[Yoweri Museveni]] under the [[Holy Spirit Movement]] or the [[Uganda People's Democratic Army]] before founding the LRA in 1987. Aiming to create a [[Christian state]] based on [[dominion theology]], Kony directed the multi-decade [[Lord's Resistance Army insurgency]]. After Kony's terror activities, he was banished from Uganda and shifted to [[South Sudan]].

Kony has long been one of Africa's most notorious and most wanted militant warlords. He has been accused by government entities of ordering the abduction of children to become [[Child soldiers in Uganda|child soldiers]] and [[Commercial sexual exploitation of children|sex slaves]]. Approximately 66,000&nbsp;children became soldiers, and 2&nbsp;million people were displaced internally from 1986 to 2009 by his forces. Kony was indicted in 2005 for [[War crime|war crimes]] and [[crimes against humanity]] by the [[International Criminal Court]] (ICC) in [[The Hague]], but he has evaded capture. He has been subject to an [[Interpol]] [[Interpol notice|Red Notice]] at the ICC's request since 2006. Since the [[Juba peace talks]] in 2006, the Lord's Resistance Army no longer operates in Uganda. Sources claim that they are in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (DRC), the [[Central African Republic]] (CAR), or [[South Sudan]]. In 2013, Kony was reported to be in poor health, and [[Michel Djotodia]], president of the CAR, claimed he was negotiating with Kony to surrender.

{{asof|alt=By April 2017|2017|4}}, Kony was still at large, but his force was reported to have shrunk to approximately 100&nbsp;soldiers, down from an estimated high of 3,000. Both the United States and Uganda ended the hunt for Kony and the LRA, believing that the LRA was no longer a significant security risk to Uganda. As of 2022, he is reported to be hiding in [[Darfur]].
<!--Do NOT add citations to the lead, except for material likely to be challenged, per [[MOS:LEADCITE]] ([[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section#Citations)]]. Move unneeded citations to the body.-->

==Early life and family==
Kony was born in September 1961<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-17 |title=Questions and answers on the confirmation of charges hearing against Joseph Kony at the International Criminal Court |url=https://african.business/2025/01/apo-newsfeed/questions-and-answers-on-the-confirmation-of-charges-hearing-against-joseph-kony-at-the-international-criminal-court |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=African Business |language=en-GB}}</ref> in [[Odek]], [[Northern Region, Uganda|Northern Region]], [[Protectorate of Uganda|Uganda]].<ref name="independent">{{cite news |last=Howden |first=Daniel |date=8 November 2008 |title=The deadly cult of Joseph Kony |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/the-deadly-cult-of-joseph-kony-1001084.html |url-status=live |access-date=7 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310145815/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/the-deadly-cult-of-joseph-kony-1001084.html |archive-date=10 March 2012}}</ref><ref name="bbcprofile" /><ref name="Britannica bio">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1017670/Joseph-Kony|title=Joseph Kony|last=Craine|first=Anthony|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=30 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614110524/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1017670/Joseph-Kony|archive-date=14 June 2012|url-status=live}} </ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How a Ugandan rebel leader ended up at the ICC |url=https://www.dw.com/en/how-a-ugandan-rebel-leader-ended-up-at-the-icc/a-56447484 |access-date=2021-09-15 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref><ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |last=Halliday |first=Josh |date=8 March 2012 |title=Kony 2012 documentary on Ugandan warlord is unlikely viral phenomenon |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-joseph-rao-kony |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref> He is a member of the [[Acholi people]].<ref name="independent" /><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Fischer |first1=Hilke |last2=Wanjohi |first2=Coletta |date=17 December 2014 |title=The Lord's Resistance Army |url=https://www.dw.com/en/the-lords-resistance-army-violence-in-the-name-of-god/a-18136620 |access-date=12 September 2021 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref> His father, Luizi Obol, was a farmer and [[Catechism|lay catechist]] of the Catholic Church. Kony's mother, Nora Oting, was an [[Anglican]] and also a farmer.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last=Samura |first=Sorious |author-link=Sorious Samura |date=20 August 2012 |title=Joseph Kony's sister tells of family's 'curse' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19314268 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820020907/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19314268 |archive-date=20 August 2012 |access-date=20 August 2012 |website=[[Panorama (TV series)|Panorama]] |publisher=BBC}}</ref> He was either the youngest or second-youngest of six children in the family.{{sfnm|1a1=Cline|1y=2013|1p=12}} His older sister, Gabriela Lakot, still lives in Odek.<ref name=":1" /> He enjoyed a good relationship with his siblings, but was quick to retaliate in a dispute, and when confronted, would often resort to physical violence.<ref name="Innocents Lost p. 105-144">{{cite book |last=Briggs |first=Jimmie |url=https://archive.org/details/innocentslostwhe0000brig |title=Innocents Lost: When child soldiers go to war |publisher=[[Basic Books]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-465-00798-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/innocentslostwhe0000brig/page/105 105–144] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Kony never finished elementary school, dropping out at age 15.<ref name="independent" />{{sfnm|1a1=Cline|1y=2013|1p=12}} He was an [[altar boy]] until 1976.<ref name="Innocents Lost p. 105-144" /> He married Selly and together they had a son, [[Ali Kony|Ali Ssalongo Kony]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-21 |title=How Kony family walked into Gen Museveni's care |url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/how-kony-family-walked-into-gen-museveni-s-care--4376068 |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=Monitor |language=en}}</ref>

== Rebel leader ==
In 1995, Kony rose to prominence in [[Acholiland]] after the [[Holy Spirit Movement]] of [[Alice Auma]] (also known as Lakwena and to whom Kony is believed to be related).<ref name="independent"/> The overthrow of Acholi President [[Tito Okello]] by [[Yoweri Museveni]] and his [[National Resistance Army]] (NRA) during the [[Ugandan Bush War]] (1981–1986) had culminated in the mass looting of livestock, rape, burning of homes, [[genocide]], and [[murder]] by Museveni's army.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is the present government attitude and treatment of members of Acholi tribe |url=http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=topic&tocid=463af2212&toid=469f2f892&publisher=&type=&coi=BDI&docid=3ae6ad345c&skip=0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609222605/http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=topic&tocid=463af2212&toid=469f2f892&publisher=&type=&coi=BDI&docid=3ae6ad345c&skip=0 |archive-date=9 June 2013 |access-date=16 April 2013 |website=refworld |publisher=[[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]]}}</ref> 

The acts committed by the Museveni's NRA, now known as the [[Uganda People's Defence Force]], led to Kony's creation of the LRA. The insurgencies gave rise to [[concentration camps]] in northern Uganda where over 2 million people were confined. The government burned people's properties using helicopter gunships, killing many. There were forced displacements in the northern region. International campaigns called for all camps to be dismantled and for the people to return to their former villages.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Uganda |url=http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/Uganda |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419024117/http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/Uganda |archive-date=19 April 2013 |access-date=17 April 2013 |website=International Displacement Monitoring Centre}}</ref><ref name="aa">{{cite journal |author=Ruddy Doom and Koen Vlassenroot |year=1999 |title=Kony's message: A new Koine? The Lord's Resistance Army in northern Uganda |journal=African Affairs |volume=98 |issue=390 |pages=5–36 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a008002 |s2cid=111914560}}</ref><ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=58&ReportId=72472 "Interview with Vincent Otti, LRA second in command"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083137/http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=58&ReportId=72472|date=29 September 2007}} and [http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=58&ReportId=72445 " A leadership based on claims of divine revelations"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120859/http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=58&ReportId=72445|date=29 September 2007}} in ''[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]] In Depth'', June 2007.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-11-06 |title=Joseph Kony is hiding out on Sudan border, report claims |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/06/joseph-kony-hiding-sudan-border-report-lra |access-date=2021-09-11 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language= |agency=[[France-Presse]]}}</ref>

In 2006, in the [[Juba]] peace talks with the LRA rebels, Museveni's government gave permission for local people to return to their villages. This marked the beginning of the rehabilitation of homes, roads, and so on.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news |date=16 October 2010 |title=Four African nations crack down on LRA |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11558746 |url-status=live |access-date=11 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320125047/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11558746 |archive-date=20 March 2012}}</ref><ref name="bbcannounce2">{{cite news |date=13 August 2006 |title=Ugandan army 'kills senior rebel' |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4788657.stm |url-status=live |access-date=7 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728114728/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4788657.stm |archive-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

===Lord's Resistance Army===
{{Further|Lord's Resistance Army}}
Kony has been implicated in abduction and recruitment of [[Military use of children|child soldiers]]. The LRA has had battle confrontations with the government's NRA or [[Uganda People's Defence Force|UPDF]] within [[Uganda]] and in South Sudan for ten years. In 2008 the Ugandan army invaded the DRC in search for the LRA in Operation Lightning Thunder.<ref>{{cite news | last=Zibwa | first=Mutai | date=2 March 2012 | title=UPDF in Kony hunt accused of rape, looting | url=http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17456 | newspaper=[[The Observer (Uganda)|The Observer]] | access-date=17 April 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213171715/http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17456 | archive-date=13 December 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2013, Kony was reported to be in poor health in the eastern CAR town of Nzoka.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joseph Kony: US doubts LRA rebel leader's surrender |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25036874 |work=BBC News |date=21 November 2013 |access-date=27 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121082044/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25036874 |archive-date=21 November 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Looking back at the LRA's campaign of violence, ''[[The Guardian]]'' stated in 2015 that Kony's forces had been responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 and the abduction of at least 60,000 children. Various atrocities committed include [[Wartime sexual violence|raping young girls]] and abducting them for use as [[Sexual slavery|sex slaves]].<ref name="Baddorf">{{Cite news |last=Baddorf |first=Zack |date=20 April 2017 |title=Uganda Ends Its Hunt for Joseph Kony Empty-Handed |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/world/africa/uganda-joseph-kony-lra.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107075605/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/world/africa/uganda-joseph-kony-lra.html |archive-date=7 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="Smith"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Mark |first=Monica |date=21 November 2013 |title=Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony 'in talks' with Central African Republic |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/21/ugandan-warlord-joseph-kony-urged-surrender |url-status=live |access-date=23 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207051232/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/21/ugandan-warlord-joseph-kony-urged-surrender |archive-date=7 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Warrant of Arrest unsealed against five LRA Commanders |url=http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/press%20and%20media/press%20releases/2005/Pages/warrant%20of%20arrest%20unsealed%20against%20five%20lra%20commanders.aspx |publisher=[[International Criminal Court]] |date=14 October 2005 |access-date=2 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212163344/http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/press%20and%20media/press%20releases/2005/Pages/warrant%20of%20arrest%20unsealed%20against%20five%20lra%20commanders.aspx |archive-date=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=19 May 2009 |title=Read The Bill: H.R. 2478 |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-2478 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203034510/http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-2478 |archive-date=3 February 2011 |access-date=11 July 2011 |publisher=GovTrack.us}}</ref>

The actual number of LRA militia members has varied significantly over the years, reaching as high as 3000 soldiers. By 2017, the organization's membership had shrunk significantly to an estimated 100 soldiers. In April 2017, both the US and [[Politics of Uganda|Ugandan governments]] ended efforts to find Kony and fight the LRA, stating that the LRA no longer posed a significant security risk to Uganda.<ref name="Baddorf"/><ref name="Smith">{{cite news | last=Smith | first=David | author-link=David Smith (journalist) | date=7 January 2015 | title=Surrender of senior aide to Joseph Kony is major blow to Lord's Resistance Army | url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/07/surrender-aide-joseph-kony-blow-lords-resistance-army | newspaper=The Guardian | access-date=24 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329025434/http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/07/surrender-aide-joseph-kony-blow-lords-resistance-army | archive-date=29 March 2016 | url-status=live }}</ref>

While initially purporting to fight against government oppression, the LRA allegedly turned against Kony's own supporters, supposedly to "purify" the [[Acholi people]] and turn Uganda into a [[theocracy]].<ref name="independent" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Wanted: Joseph Kony |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/gcj/wcrp/206078.htm |access-date=2021-09-15 |website=U.S. Department of State}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=18 December 2017 |title=Top 10 Most Wanted Criminals in the World 2018 |url=https://improb.com/top-most-wanted-criminals-in-the-world/ |access-date=21 November 2019 |website=Improb |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=25 November 2008 |title=Top 10 Fugitives in the World Still on the Run |url=https://www.toptenz.net/top-10-fugitives.php |access-date=18 January 2020 |website=Toptenz.net |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-10 |title=Kony's rebels remain a threat, but they're also selling honey to get by {{!}} African Arguments |url=https://africanarguments.org/2020/03/joseph-kony-lra-rebels-threat-selling-honey/ |access-date=2021-09-15 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Kony proclaims himself the spokesperson of [[God]] and a [[spirit medium]] and claims he is visited by a multinational host of 13 spirits, including a Chinese phantom.<ref name="independent" /> Ideologically, the group is a [[syncretic]] mix of [[mysticism]], Acholi nationalism, and heterodox [[Christian fundamentalism]], and claims to be establishing a theocratic state based on the [[Ten Commandments]] and local Acholi tradition.{{#tag:ref|<ref>{{cite book | title=The Scars of Death: Children Abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda | date=September 1997 | publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] | isbn=1564322211 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_7u593EKw-ngC/page/n45 32], 72 | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_7u593EKw-ngC | access-date=25 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a008002|title=Kony's Message: A New Koine?the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda|journal=[[African Affairs]]|volume=98|issue=390|pages=5–36|year=1999|last1=Doom|first1=R|last2=Vlassenroot|first2=K|s2cid=111914560}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Drogin |first=Bob |author-link=Bob Drogin |date=1 April 1996 |title=Ugandan Rebels Terrorize in the Name of the Lord |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-01-mn-53659-story.html |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=27 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191424/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-04-01/news/mn-53659_1_ugandan-rebels-terrorize |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lamb |first=Christina |author-link=Christina Lamb |date=2 March 2008 |title=The Wizard of the Nile: The Hunt for Africa's Most Wanted by Matthew Green |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article3449276.ece |newspaper=[[The Times]] |access-date=2 March 2008 |url-access=subscription }}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McKinley Jr. |first=James C. |author-link=James C. McKinley Jr. |date=5 March 1997 |title=Christian Rebels Wage a War of Terror in Uganda |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/05/world/christian-rebels-wage-a-war-of-terror-in-uganda.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=8 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625172603/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/05/world/christian-rebels-wage-a-war-of-terror-in-uganda.html |archive-date=25 June 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McGreal |first=Chris |author-link=Chris McGreal |date=13 March 2008 |title=Museveni refuses to hand over rebel leaders to war crimes court |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/mar/13/uganda.internationalcrime |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=8 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202113342/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/mar/13/uganda.internationalcrime |archive-date=2 February 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Boustany |first=Nora |date=19 March 2008 |title=Ugandan Rebel Reaches Out to International Court |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/18/AR2008031803054.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=8 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707010842/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/18/AR2008031803054.html |archive-date=7 July 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Haynes |first=Jeffrey |title=Politics in the developing world |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2002 |page=121 |isbn=9780631225560}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Abraham |date=31 December 2004 |title=The End of Uganda's Mystic Rebel? |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1231/p06s01-woaf.html |newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |access-date=27 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527120746/https://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1231/p06s01-woaf.html |archive-date=27 May 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |last=Muth |first=Rachel |date=8 May 2008 |title=Child Soldiers in the Lord's Resistance Army: Factors in the Rehabilitation and Reintegration Process |type=MA thesis |publisher=George Mason University |hdl=1920/3005 |page=23}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite book | last=Martin | first=Gus | title=Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues | publisher=SAGE | year=2006 | pages=196–197 | isbn=978-1-4129-2722-2 }}<p>{{*}}[http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=58&ReportId=72472 "Interview with Vincent Otti, LRA second in command"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083137/http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=58&ReportId=72472 |date=29 September 2007 }} and [http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=58&ReportId=72445 "A leadership based on claims of divine revelations"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120859/http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=58&ReportId=72445 |date=29 September 2007 }} in ''[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]] In Depth'', June 2007</p></ref>}}

===Indictment===
{{Main|International Criminal Court investigation in Uganda}}
In October 2006, the ICC announced that arrest warrants had been issued for five members of the Lord's Resistance Army for crimes against humanity following a sealed indictment. On the next day, Ugandan defense minister [[Amama Mbabazi]] revealed that the warrants include Kony, his deputy [[Vincent Otti]], and LRA commanders [[Raska Lukwiya]], [[Okot Odhiambo]], and [[Dominic Ongwen]]. The Ugandan army killed Lukwiya on 12 August 2006.<ref name="bbcannounce">{{cite news|date=13 August 2006|title=Ugandan army 'kills senior rebel'|work=[[BBC News]]|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4788657.stm|url-status=live|access-date=7 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728114728/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4788657.stm|archive-date=28 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="Baddorf" /> 

The [[BBC]] received information that Otti had been killed on 2 October 2007, at Kony's home.<ref>{{cite news | title=Otti 'executed by Uganda rebels' | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7156284.stm | work=BBC News | date=21 December 2007 | access-date=8 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311075838/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7156284.stm | archive-date=11 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2006, Kony met [[Jan Egeland]], the UN [[Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator]].<ref>{{cite news | title=UN envoy sees Uganda rebel chief | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6139554.stm | work=BBC News | date=12 November 2006 | access-date=8 December 2013}}</ref> Journeyman Pictures released a 2006 interview with Kony in which he proclaims: "I am a freedom fighter, not a terrorist."<ref>{{YouTube|id=dWiF9hSgyoU|title=Joseph Kony's defiant interview: the only ever interview with Kony}}</ref> He told [[Reuters]]: "We don't have any children. We only have combatants."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L12604312.htm | title=[AlertNet] | access-date=29 July 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071205161329/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L12604312.htm | archive-date=5 December 2007 | url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref>

Prosecutors at the ICC applied for an ''in absentia'' hearing to confirm the charges against Kony in November 2022, and in 2024 the hearing was scheduled for 15 October.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/03/icc-judges-allow-trial-against-uganda-rebel-joseph-kony-to-move-forward-in-his-absence/|title=ICC judges allow trial against Uganda rebel Joseph Kony to move forward in his absence|website=Jurist|date=5 March 2024|first=Malaika|last=Grafe}}</ref> Kony will be represented by a court-appointed lawyer if he has not been captured when the hearing, the first of its kind to take place at the ICC, takes place.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/joseph-kony-lra-icc-uganda-rebel-leader-8aa7fcbc3e0fb316154ab4308a39f7f4|title=International Criminal Court to hold first ever in absentia hearing over Ugandan rebel leader Kony|newspaper=The Associated Press|date=4 March 2024}}</ref>

On April 17, 2025, the Office of the Prosecutor at the ICC submitted an updated document with the charges. It states that Joseph Kony is suspected of 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which he is believed to have committed between July 1, 2002, and December 31, 2005, in northern Uganda.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kony {{!}} International Criminal Court |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/uganda/kony |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=www.icc-cpi.int |language=en}}</ref> The ICC began hearing Kony's charges on 9 September 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ICC hears war crimes case against Ugandan rebel leader |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kwe02vyvdo |website=BBC |date=9 September 2025}}</ref>

==Religious beliefs==
Kony's followers, as well as some detractors, believe he is [[demonic possession|possessed by spirits]]. Kony tells his child soldiers that a cross on their chest drawn in oil will protect them from bullets.<ref name="Innocents Lost p. 105-144"/> He is a proponent of [[polygamy]], and is thought to have had 60 wives,<ref name="bbcprofile">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-17299084 |title=Joseph Kony: Profile of the LRA leader |date=8 March 2012 |work=BBC News |access-date=2 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204104508/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-17299084 |archive-date=4 February 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> and to have fathered 42 children.<ref name="Debut"/>{{Sfn|Green|2008|p=215}}{{rp|page 136}} Kony insists that he and the LRA are fighting for the [[Ten Commandments]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Religious Beliefs of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/documents/religious-beliefs-of-joseph-konys-lords-resistance-army |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=www.nytimes.com}}</ref> and defended his actions in an interview, saying, "Is it bad? It is not against human rights. And that commandment was not given by Joseph. It was not given by LRA. No, those commandments were given by God."<ref>{{cite news |last=Farmar |first=Sam |date=28 June 2006 |title=I will use the Ten Commandments to liberate Uganda |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/africa-travel/south-africa/i-will-use-the-ten-commandments-to-liberate-uganda-snr280dcwnb |newspaper=[[The Times]] |access-date=8 December 2013 |url-access=subscription  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222172129/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/article1982845.ece |archive-date=22 December 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ugandan political leader [[Betty Bigombe]] recalled that Kony and his followers used oil to ward off bullets and [[Demon|evil spirits]].<ref>{{cite news | first=Nora | last=Boustany | date=11 July 2007 | title=The Woman Behind Uganda's Peace Hopes | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071001933.html | newspaper=The Washington Post| access-date=21 October 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330053414/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071001933.html | archive-date=30 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref> Kony claims to be a spirit medium. In 2008, responding to a request by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to engage in peace talks via telephone, he said, "I will communicate with Museveni through the holy spirits and not through the telephone."<ref name="bbcprofile"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/uganda/uganda-museveni-accepts-direct-kony-talks|title=Uganda: Museveni accepts direct Kony talks|work=ReliefWeb|access-date=2 February 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203064605/https://reliefweb.int/report/uganda/uganda-museveni-accepts-direct-kony-talks|archive-date=3 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> 

During peace talks in 1994, Kony was preceded by men in robes sprinkling [[holy water]].<ref name="bbcprofile"/> According to Francis Ongom, a former LRA officer who defected, Kony "has found [[Bible]] justifications for killing witches, for killing [those who farm or eat] pigs because of the story of the [[Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac|Gadarene swine]], and for killing [other] people because God did the same with [[Noah's Ark|Noah's flood]] and [[Sodom and Gomorrah]]."<ref>{{cite news | last=Hitchens | first=Christopher | author-link=Christopher Hitchens | date=January 2006 | title=Childhood's End | url=https://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/01/hitchens200601 | newspaper=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | access-date=8 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212101315/http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/01/hitchens200601 | archive-date=12 December 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Action against Kony==
===Uganda===
Before the insurgency, he escaped in 1989 to Uganda. He was later captured by the Ugandan government. He was released in 1992 after the government no longer viewed him as a threat.{{sfnm|1a1=Cline|1y=2013|1p=11}}

The Ugandan military has attempted to kill Kony throughout the insurgency. In Uganda's attempt to track down Kony, former LRA combatants have been enlisted to search remote areas of the CAR, Sudan, and the DRC where he was last seen.<ref>{{cite news | last=Gettleman | first=Jeffrey | author-link=Jeffrey Gettleman | date=10 April 2010 | title=Uganda Enlists Former Rebels to End a War | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/world/africa/11lra.html | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date=11 July 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715050636/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/world/africa/11lra.html | archive-date=15 July 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===United States===
[[File:USMC-120228-M-CF241-480.jpg|thumb|A force reconnaissance Marine goes over threat detection methods with a group of Ugandan soldiers, 28 February. Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 12 sent a small team of Marines into Uganda on 3 February to train Ugandan forces for the fight against al-Shabaab in Somalia and the hunt for Joseph Kony and the Lord’s resistance army.]]
After the [[September 11 attacks]], the [[United States]] designated the LRA a terrorist group.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/dos120601.html | title=Statement on the Designation of 39 Organizations on the USA PATRIOT Act's Terrorist Exclusion List | author=Philip T. Reeker | publisher=U.S. Department of State | date=6 December 2001 | access-date=15 February 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312082418/http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/dos120601.html | archive-date=12 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref> In August 2008, the US Department of State declared Kony a [[Specially Designated Global Terrorist]] pursuant to [[Executive Order 13224]], a designation that carries financial and other penalties.<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 August 2008|title=In the Matter of the Designation of: Joseph Kony as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Pursuant to Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as Amended|url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/08/29/E8-20164/in-the-matter-of-the-designation-of-joseph-kony-as-a-specially-designated-global-terrorist-pursuant|access-date=23 September 2020|website=Federal Register}}</ref> In November 2008, U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] signed the directive to the [[United States Africa Command]] to provide financial and logistical assistance to the Ugandan government during the unsuccessful [[2008–2009 Garamba offensive]], code-named ''Operation Lightning Thunder''.<ref>{{Cite news | last1=Gettleman | first1=Jeffrey | last2=Schmitt | first2=Eric | author-link2=Eric P. Schmitt | date=6 February 2009 | title=U.S. Aided a Failed Plan to Rout Ugandan Rebels | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/africa/07congo.html | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date=12 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318044001/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/africa/07congo.html | archive-date=18 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref>

No U.S. troops were directly involved. 17 U.S. advisers and analysts provided intelligence, equipment, and fuel to Ugandan military counterparts. The offensive pushed Kony from his jungle camp, but he was not captured. One hundred children were rescued.<ref>{{Cite news | last1=Gettleman | first1=Jeffrey | last2=Schmitt | first2=Eric | author-link2=Eric P. Schmitt | date=6 February 2009 | title=U.S. Aided a Failed Plan to Rout Ugandan Rebels | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/africa/07congo.html | newspaper=The New York Times | access-date=12 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318044001/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/africa/07congo.html | archive-date=18 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref> 

In May 2010, U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] signed into law the [[Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theresolve.org/lra-disarmament-and-northern-uganda-recovery-act-of-2009 |title=LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 |work=Resolve Uganda |date=24 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728100518/http://www.theresolve.org/lra-disarmament-and-northern-uganda-recovery-act-of-2009 |archive-date=28 July 2011 }}</ref> legislation aimed at stopping Kony and the LRA. The bill passed unanimously in the [[United States Senate]] on 11 March. On 12 May 2010, a motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill was agreed to by voice vote (two-thirds being in the affirmative) in the House of Representatives.<ref>2010 Congressional Record, Page H3416.</ref> In November 2010, Obama delivered a strategy document to Congress asking for more funding to disarm Kony and the LRA.<ref>{{cite news | first=Michael J. | last=Kavanagh | title=Obama Administration Asks for Funds to Boost Uganda's Fight Against Rebels | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-25/obama-administration-asks-fpr-funds-to-boost-uganda-s-fight-against-rebels.html | publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] | date=25 November 2010 | access-date=15 October 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310013223/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-25/obama-administration-asks-fpr-funds-to-boost-uganda-s-fight-against-rebels.html | archive-date=10 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2011, Obama authorized the deployment of approximately 100 combat-equipped U.S. troops to central Africa.<ref>{{cite news | last=Gerson | first=Michael | author-link=Michael Gerson | date=26 January 2011 | title=Joseph Kony and the international effort to bring him to justice | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/joseph-kony-and-the-international-effort-to-bring-him-to-justice/2012/01/26/gIQAYk04TQ_story.html | newspaper=The Washington Post| access-date=6 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308211539/http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/joseph-kony-and-the-international-effort-to-bring-him-to-justice/2012/01/26/gIQAYk04TQ_story.html | archive-date=8 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref> Their goal is to help regional forces remove Kony and senior LRA leaders from the battlefield. In a letter to Congress, Obama wrote: "Although the U.S. forces are combat-equipped, they will only be providing information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces, and they will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defense".<ref>{{cite news | last=Jackson | first=David | date=14 October 2011 | title=Obama dispatches 100 troops to Africa | url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/10/obama-dispatches-100-troops-to-uganda/1 | newspaper=[[USA Today]] | access-date=8 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329011930/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/10/obama-dispatches-100-troops-to-uganda/1 | archive-date=29 March 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Tapper | first=Jake | author-link=Jake Tapper | date=14 October 2011 | title=Obama Sends 100 US Troops to Uganda to Help Combat Lord's Resistance Army | url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/10/obama-sends-100-us-troops-to-uganda-to-combat-lords-resistance-army/ | newspaper=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] | access-date=8 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208010039/https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/10/obama-sends-100-us-troops-to-uganda-to-combat-lords-resistance-army/ | archive-date=8 December 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref> On 3 April 2013, the Obama administration offered rewards of up to US$5 million for information leading to the arrest, transfer, or conviction of Kony, Ongwen, and Odhiambo.<ref>{{cite news | last=Levy | first=Gabrielle | date=3 April 2013 | title=$5 million bounty offered for Joseph Kony | url=http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/04/03/5-million-bounty-offered-for-Joesph-Kony/2981365016264/ | work=[[United Press International]] | access-date=4 April 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416022818/http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/04/03/5-million-bounty-offered-for-Joesph-Kony/2981365016264 | archive-date=16 April 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/gcj/wcrp/206078.htm | title=Wanted: Joseph Kony | website=[[Office of Global Criminal Justice]] | publisher=[[United States Department of State]] | access-date=8 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/gcj/wcrp/206079.htm | title=Wanted: Dominic Ongwen | website=Office of Global Criminal Justice | publisher=United States Department of State | access-date=8 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/gcj/wcrp/206082.htm | title=Wanted: Okot Odhiambo | website=Office of Global Criminal Justice | publisher=United States Department of State | access-date=8 December 2013 }}</ref> On 24 March 2014, the U.S. announced it would deploy at least four [[CV-22 Osprey]]s and refueling planes, and 150 Air Force special forces personnel to assist in the capture of Kony.<ref name="BBC_Mar24_2013">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26712774 | title=Joseph Kony: US military planes to hunt LRA leader | publisher=BBC | date=24 March 2014 | access-date=24 March 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324134210/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26712774 | archive-date=24 March 2014 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===African Union===
On 23 March 2012, the [[African Union]] announced its intentions to "send 5,000 soldiers to join the hunt for rebel leader Joseph Kony" and to "neutralize" him while isolating the scattered LRA groups responsible for 2,600 civilian killings since 2008. This international task force was said to include soldiers "from Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Congo, countries where Kony's reign of terror has been felt over the years." Before this announcement, the hunt for Kony had primarily been carried out by troops from Uganda. The soldiers began their search in South Sudan on 24 March 2012, and the search "will last until Kony is caught".<ref>{{cite news | last=Muhumuza | first=Rodney | date=23 March 2012 | title=Kony 2012: African Union ramps up hunt for Uganda rebel leader in wake of viral video | url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1150843--kony-2012-african-union-ramps-up-hunt-for-uganda-rebel-leader-in-wake-of-viral-video | newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] | agency=[[Associated Press]] | access-date=23 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325231650/http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1150843--kony-2012-african-union-ramps-up-hunt-for-uganda-rebel-leader-in-wake-of-viral-video | archive-date=25 March 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===''Kony 2012''===
{{main|Kony 2012}}[[File:Plakat akcji Kony 2012 przy pl. Trzech Krzyży w Warszawie.JPG|thumb|Posters for Kony 2012 in [[Three Crosses Square]], [[Warsaw]]]]Kony and the LRA received a surge of attention in early March 2012, when a 30-minute documentary, ''Kony 2012'', by US filmmaker [[Jason Russell]] for the campaign group [[Invisible Children, Inc.]] was released.<ref>{{cite news | last=Ngak | first=Chenda | date=8 March 2012 | title=Invisible Children's "Kony 2012" viral video stirs emotion and controversy | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/invisible-childrens-kony-2012-viral-video-stirs-emotion-and-controversy/ | publisher=[[CBS News]] | access-date=8 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214160705/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/invisible-childrens-kony-2012-viral-video-stirs-emotion-and-controversy/ | archive-date=14 December 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref> The intention of the production was to draw attention to Kony in an effort to increase US involvement in the issue and have Kony arrested by the end of 2012.<ref>{{cite news|last=Myers |first=Julia |date=7 March 2012 |title=A call for justice |url=http://kykernel.com/2012/03/07/a-call-for-justice/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713191826/http://kykernel.com/2012/03/07/a-call-for-justice/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 July 2012 |newspaper=[[The Kentucky Kernel]] |access-date=8 December 2013 }}</ref> 

A poll suggested that more than half of young adult Americans heard about ''Kony 2012'' in the days following its release. Several weeks after its release, a resolution condemning Kony and supporting US assistance fighting the LRA was introduced in the US Senate, passing several months later.<ref name="atlanticcouncil.org">{{Cite web | url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/upcoming-events/detail/my-star-in-the-sky-a-movie-screening-and-reception |title = My star in the sky: Movie screening and reception}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Kanczula | first=Antonia | date=20 April 2012 | title=Kony 2012 in numbers | url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/apr/20/kony-2012-facts-numbers | newspaper=The Guardian | access-date=20 April 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203163209/http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/apr/20/kony-2012-facts-numbers | archive-date=3 December 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last1=Curtis | first1=Polly | last2=McCarthy | first2=Tom | date=20 April 2012 | title=Kony 2012: what happens next? | url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/apr/20/kony-2012-what-happens-next | newspaper=The Guardian | access-date=22 April 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016125101/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/apr/20/kony-2012-what-happens-next | archive-date=16 October 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/121731-senate-passes-resolution-condemning-joseph-kony/|title=Senate passes resolution condemning Joseph Kony|last=Cox|first=Ramsey|date=3 August 2012|work=TheHill|access-date=2 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203064602/http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/242107-senate-passes-resolution-condemning-joseph-kony|archive-date=3 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Kony 2012'' has been criticized for simplifying the history of the LRA conflict, and for failing to note that Kony was already pushed out of Uganda six years before the film was made.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/9131469/Joseph-Kony-2012-growing-outrage-in-Uganda-over-film.html|title=Joseph Kony 2012: growing outrage in Uganda over film|last=Pflanz|first=Mike|journal=The Daily Telegraph|date=8 March 2012|access-date=2 February 2018|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527201506/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/9131469/Joseph-Kony-2012-growing-outrage-in-Uganda-over-film.html|archive-date=27 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last1=Curtis | first1=Polly | last2=MacCarthy | first2=Tom | newspaper=The Guardian | date=8 March 2014 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story | title=Kony 2012 – What's the story? | access-date=11 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105001412/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story | archive-date=5 January 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Surrender of Ongwen===
[[Dominic Ongwen]] served as a key member of the LRA and constituted one of Kony's senior aides in the organization. Kidnapped as a child, he became a soldier in the LRA, then rose through the organization's hierarchy. Ongwen surrendered himself to representatives of the CAR in January 2015, which was a major blow to Kony's group. Ugandan army spokesman Paddy Ankunda stated that the event "puts the LRA in the most vulnerable position" and that it "is only Kony left standing".<ref name="Smith"/>

Of the five LRA commanders charged by the ICC in 2004, only Kony remained at large at that time. With only a few hundred fighters remaining loyal to him, it was mistakenly thought that he would be unable to evade capture much longer.<ref name="Smith"/> In February 2021, Ongwen was convicted by the International Criminal Court of 61 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes.<ref>{{cite web | title=Dominic Ongwen declared guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Uganda | website=International Criminal Court | date=4 February 2021 | url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/Pages/item.aspx?name=pr1564 | access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref>

===LRA neutralization and U.S. stand-down===
In April 2017, Ugandan and US military forces ended their hunt for Kony and his group, with a Ugandan spokesperson saying, "the LRA no longer poses a threat to us as Uganda".<ref name="Baddorf"/> At that time, his force was estimated to have shrunk to around 100 soldiers.<ref name="Baddorf"/>

===Current whereabouts===
In April 2022, [[DW News]] reported that a number of LRA members said Kony was hiding in the [[Darfur]] region of Sudan. From there, he was allegedly giving orders to his fighters. One former member said that the fighters were "tired and unmotivated", and leaving in favor of living a normal life.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Is Joseph Kony hiding in Darfur? – DW – 04/14/2022 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/is-lra-rebel-leader-joseph-kony-hiding-in-darfur/a-61478125 |access-date=2023-03-15 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> Kony was previously provided with armed and logistical support from former Sudanese president [[Omar al-Bashir]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-04 |title=Uganda: Joseph Kony, the one that got away |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/272498/uganda-joseph-kony-the-one-that-got-away/ |access-date=2023-03-15 |website=The Africa Report.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

In April 2024, Kony was reportedly settled in a camp 10 miles from a village named Yemen in the Central African Republic. In the same month, hearing the news of the surrender of 14 LRA members to the government forces, the [[Wagner Group]] [[2024 Haute-Kotto raid|attacked Kony's camp]], prompting him and his 71 men to flee towards Sudan.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bishop |first1=Mac William |title=Russian Mercenaries Hunt the African Warlord America Couldn't Catch |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/russian-mercenaries-wagner-joseph-kony-warlord-1235011454/ |website=rollingstone.com |date=27 April 2024 |publisher=Rolling Stone |access-date=28 April 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Uganda|Biography}}
* [[International Criminal Court investigations]]
* [[Lord's Resistance Army insurgency]]
* [[List of fugitives from justice who disappeared]]
* [[Child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Briggs |first=Jimmie |title=The Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go to War |url=https://archive.org/details/innocentslostwhe0000brig |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Basic Books]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-465-00798-8}}
* {{cite book | last=Bussman | first=Jane | author-link=Jane Bussmann | title=The Worst Date Ever: War Crimes, Hollywood Heart-Throbs and Other Abominations | publisher=Macmillan | year=2009 | isbn=978-0-230-73712-9}}
* {{cite book | last=Cline | first=Lawrence E. | title=The Lord's Resistance Army | publisher=ABC-CLIO | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-440-82855-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Green |first=Matthew |title=The Wizard of the Nile: The Hunt for Africa's Most Wanted |publisher=Portobello Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84627-031-4 |author-link=Matthew Green (journalist)}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.haguejusticeportal.net/eCache/DEF/8/193.c2V0TGFuZz1FTiZMPUVO.html Hague Justice Portal: Joseph Kony] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219001708/http://www.haguejusticeportal.net/eCache/DEF/8/193.c2V0TGFuZz1FTiZMPUVO.html |date=19 December 2011 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120309200911/http://www.interpol.int/en/Wanted-Persons/(wanted_id)/2006-26320 Joseph Kony on Interpol's wanted list]
* [http://www.ethnosfilm.tv/en/kevinen/ ''Kevin'' – Documentary on LRA's aftermath in Northern Uganda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011072034/http://www.ethnosfilm.tv/en/kevinen/ |date=11 October 2020 }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kony, Joseph}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Gulu District]]
[[Category:Lord's Resistance Army rebels]]
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[[Category:Fugitives wanted on crimes against humanity charges]]
[[Category:Fugitives wanted on war crimes charges]]
[[Category:Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government]]
[[Category:20th-century Ugandan criminals]]
[[Category:21st-century Ugandan criminals]]
[[Category:African warlords]]
[[Category:Spiritual mediums]]
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