The face that launched 1000+ atrocities
Joseph Kony: the face responsible for far too many atrocities
The ugly truth of poaching
This week, I’m back in Africa, focusing on just one of the
many grave issues swilling about in the fuliginous reality that is poaching: the
most contentious issue regarding conservation currently muddying some of our
social media channels. Those behind this issue include the poaching Kingpin, Joseph Kony.
For years, allegations of corrupt officials, terrorist
involvement and debase governments have imperturbably been cast about by
apoplectic supporters of iconic animals such as elephants and rhinos. Blame has
been laid firmly at the door of the Chinese for their ivory trinkets – a market
worth billions.
No longer are the poachers’ actions a secret, and
organisations and governments alike have vowed to eradicate poaching
completely. Not surprisingly, David Attenborough has even voiced his opinion
and leading Hollywood heart throb, Leonardo Di Caprio, has thrown his own money
into anti-poaching efforts. With an ivory ban now in place world-wide, people
are breathing sighs of reliefs and waiting for the elephant population to increase
once again. But the likelihood is it won’t.
An ivory black market will still thrive for as long as
poaching is being funded by terrorist organisations who throw vast amounts of
money at local Africans, lured by the amount of scant money they can make, to
supplement measly wages and struggles to feed their families. This lucrative
business involves sophisticated weaponry and vehicular support to get the ivory
out of African ports in Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania.
The lack of respect for these beautiful African symbols is
disturbing enough. Tusker males, pregnant females, or rare sub-species, it
doesn’t matter: they all die, usually with a bullet from an AK-47 or a 458.
Numbers have reduced by 60% in Tanzania in just five years and across Africa
they continue to deplete
at around 8% per year.
The ivory Warlords
The ivory Warlords
Having recently watched the critically acclaimed Warlords of
Ivory from the National Geographic, I was keen to look further into the life of
a notorious kingpin of poaching, Joseph Kony. To be frank, I was surprised
someone like Bryan Christy could highlight the truth behind poaching in DRC and
not garner the support to take it much further. Yes, it went to congress. Yes,
they were interested and said they would look into the matter further. But, Kony
is still at large.
Christy unveiled to a world dismissive of African issues something
very sinister that only those following the poaching crisis were aware of. Not
only was the Sudanese government and army playing an extensive part in the
success of poaching, Kony was aided by child soldiers and heavily involved in
the abduction of children to be used as sex slaves as well.
Since the late 1980’s, Kony, who reaps support and
credibility by claiming to be the spokesperson of God and a spirit medium, has
been leading the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) against purported government
suppression in Uganda. His guerrilla group now operates out of Sudan, the DRC
and the Central African Republic.
A criminal syndicate
The list of crimes against him is vast: war crimes, crimes
against humanity, kidnapping, rape, child abduction and his forces are
responsible for over 100,000 deaths. In 2005, he was indicted by the
ICC in The Hague for war crimes but has evaded capture since. He has been
subject to an Interpol Red Notice since 2006 at the request of the ICC but eleven years on, he is still free to capture children and expose them to a life of
suffering. Boys are indoctrinated in
military warfare and girls forced to marry his army commanders.
A child soldier in DRC.
Victim or perpetrator?
Whilst researching for this blog, Kony’s freedom was not the only question that came about. Dominic Ongwen was abducted, aged 10, and transformed into one of the LRA’s most fearsome commanders. Ongwen is currently awaiting justice at the International Criminal Court, charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Let’s look at the facts here. Between seven and ten years old is the best time for a child to learn sports. Imagine what mind-control techniques designed to instill fear and aid sheer brutality will do. Ongwen is the first child abducted to face charges from the ICC - which he repudiates under claims he is a victim, not a perpetrator due to the military training he received. He is the first defendant to be both alleged perpetrator and victim of the same crimes.
Whilst researching for this blog, Kony’s freedom was not the only question that came about. Dominic Ongwen was abducted, aged 10, and transformed into one of the LRA’s most fearsome commanders. Ongwen is currently awaiting justice at the International Criminal Court, charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Let’s look at the facts here. Between seven and ten years old is the best time for a child to learn sports. Imagine what mind-control techniques designed to instill fear and aid sheer brutality will do. Ongwen is the first child abducted to face charges from the ICC - which he repudiates under claims he is a victim, not a perpetrator due to the military training he received. He is the first defendant to be both alleged perpetrator and victim of the same crimes.
The trial could last years and Kony, who should be
on trial alongside Ongwen is still free, yet can rival ISIS for the amount of deaths he can take responsibility for. I read British newspapers every day but I am yet to
see Kony making print headlines. The trial is hailed as being momentous; I’d
argue it is contentious: Ongwen surrendered
under his own volition; the LRA has been languishing for the past few years;
Kony is at large continuing his systematic attacks on innocent people and
animals whose tusks appear to being sold to the Sudanese army. Perhaps his political
links are to blame for the inability to apprehend him - greed, corruption and a lack of respect for humans and animals is rife.
Over the years, his soldiers have defected, disclosing chilling
images and videos of atrocities within the LRA camp. In 2015, it was reported
his army had dwindled to only a few hundred.
The west fights far higher numbers around the world every day. Efforts
need to be stepped up to bring Kony before the ICC. Otherwise, more rampages will occur
and another
66,000 children will be abducted for military training or to face life as a sex
slave.
In the last 20 years, over
five million people in Eastern Congo have been killed, making it the one of
the most volatile areas of Africa with one of the world’s longest and bloodiest
conflicts in history. Yet, the heartache
is all but forgotten. Even now, children are being brought up by strangers and
indigenous people in Congo after their parents are murdered by rebels. They
struggle to cope with trauma and their suffering goes largely undocumented.
Kony can’t accept all the credit for these crimes but he
certainly isn’t helping to bring peace to eastern and central Africa. In 2013,
he was reported to be in ill-health and ready to surrender; four years later,
he is still involved in these horrific crimes and decimating elephant
populations, despite US Special Forces aiding the waning figures in his army.
The LRA targets people in remote and marginalised areas,
exposing weaknesses in safety. Dozens of people in remote towns share
information via solar-powered High Frequency radios about LRA attacks. This is
then analysed by humanitarian agencies and troops.
Paul Ronan, co-founder and project director of the Resolve
LRA Crisis initiative has the same stance as I: the International and regional
leaders need to re-energise UN peacekeepers to apprehend Kony.
Only then can the response to Kony and his LRA be brought to a crushing
end.
To read more about Kony, visit any of the links
below:
http://invisiblechildren.com/challenge/the-lra/?gclid=CNj0jJuB-dICFQkUGwodobIFKg
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/africa/Kony-LRA-kidnap-Central-African-Republic/1066-3031610-mermwnz/index.html
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