Joseph Kony

Joseph Kony is a Ugandan insurgent who founded and led the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), an armed group notorious for abducting children and attacking civilians across Central Africa.

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Lord’s Resistance Army: An armed group founded by Joseph Kony that fought governments and attacked civilians across Central Africa. Kony built the organization through which his insurgency operated.
Child abduction: The unlawful seizure of children, often for exploitation, coercion, or forced service. LRA forces abducted children to replenish their ranks and control communities.
Internally displaced persons camps in Uganda: Temporary settlements in which large numbers of Ugandans lived after being displaced by conflict, especially in the north. LRA violence and government displacement policies pushed civilians into these camps.
Alice Lakwena’s Holy Spirit Movement: The rebel movement led by Alice Lakwena, defeated by Ugandan government forces in 1987. Its earlier defeat contrasts with the LRA’s prolonged insurgency under Kony.
Ugandan Bush War: The 1981–1986 conflict in which Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Army fought to overthrow Uganda’s government. The war and its aftermath formed the political setting for Kony’s rise.
Child soldier: A person under 18 recruited or used by an armed force or group in any capacity. Many people abducted by the LRA were forced into combat or other military roles.
Kony 2012: A 2012 viral advocacy campaign by Invisible Children that sought to make Joseph Kony widely known and prompt his arrest. The campaign turned Kony’s pursuit into a global media event.
Traditional justice in Acholi: Community-based practices among Acholi people for reconciliation, accountability, and restoring social relations. These approaches became part of debates over justice for crimes committed during Kony’s insurgency.
Holy Spirit Movement: A Ugandan rebel movement led by Alice Lakwena that fought the government in 1986–1987. Its spiritual warfare and northern Ugandan roots preceded Kony’s insurgency.
Forced recruitment: The coercive enlistment of people into an armed force or group without genuine consent. Abduction and threats supplied the LRA with fighters and labor.