When was kony last seen

He was also immortal, the captain added. He has created an aura of mysticism around himself and his rebels follow strict rules and rituals. They say that the oil is the power of the Holy Spirit. He has also used terror to maintain control, beating and killing followers who were caught trying to flee. Some former fighters have said they complied with the leader's orders out of fear.

Ex-commander Kenneth Banya told the BBC in that he had sex with a minor because he was threatened with death if he left her alone. Mr Kony has described himself as a "freedom fighter" but has been accused of being responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in the north of Uganda. He has used biblical references to explain why it was necessary to kill his own people, since they had, in his view, failed to support his cause.

In his first interview in , filmed at his jungle base at the time in DR Congo , he insisted he was not the monster he was portrayed to be. I cannot cut the ear of my brother; I cannot kill the eye of my brother. Mr Kony's fighters continued to spread terror targeting and killing local people for provisions. They later moved to CAR where they acted more like a criminal outfit engaging in poaching and illegal mining. There have been attempts to make peace, but talks fell apart in because the LRA leader wanted assurances that he and his allies would not be prosecuted.

But some LRA fighters are being prosecuted. Other key figures have either been killed, captured, or have given themselves up. Mr Kony's global notoriety increased in because of the social media campaign that used the hashtag Kony A video posted online by the US advocacy group Invisible Children was watched tens of millions of times. It inspired a public outcry, which included celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, to boost the hunt for Mr Kony.

About US troops had already been deployed to central Africa in to support an African Union-led mission against the LRA, but Kony increased the pressure to get results. The film proved controversial, especially in Uganda, where critics said it oversimplified a complex subject, but Invisible Children said it succeeded in extending the US mission.

However, Mr Kony has not been found and in the US and Ugandan armies ended their efforts to track him down. They argued that his ability to cause trouble had been degraded and he was no longer a threat. What is still left of the rebel movement? The LRA came to notoriety in the s through its large-scale abductions and violence targeting civilians in its conflict with the Ugandan government.

Its last acts of major violence were in and when it committed large-scale massacres against the Congolese population. Here, it avoided attacking civilians and, for several years, continued to receive some basic supplies from the Sudanese Armed Forces SAF , which had given it substantial support in the s and earlys. Kony did indeed give orders in early to forcibly recruit new members, leading to the abduction of more than 40 children and youth in the following months. It seems the rebel leader gave up trying to maintain command and control of the LRA outside of his own faction.

Ali Kony, as a toddler, in Rather, it suggests a change in strategy. The LRA today appears far less interested in violent intimidation and more inclined towards acts of survival such as looting basic food supplies. Testimony from defected rebels reinforce this data, highlighting how individual LRA commanders have given orders to stop killings. The LRA is a declining fighting force, Sudanese support has stopped, and morale is eroding.

The new priority is simply to survive. Given this context, it is not a surprise that there are fragmented, but consistent, reports of LRA tactics evolving even further to include trading peacefully with local populations. All of this does not mean the LRA is finished. In , the rebels still abducted people, including dozens of children. No-one I spoke to seemed to have a ready answer as to how to provide immediate protection for the people in Obo and other towns in the region.

Civilians here now have to face the same insecurity as the rest of the country, which has been in a bitter war. As for the local vigilante leader, Mr Mbolihundo tells me he is trying to get his men ready. If they know that the Ugandan army is going home, they will come here to disturb us because they are close. Survivors of Uganda's LRA insurgency. Central African Republic profile.

Invisible Children. Pierre Mbolihundo and other members of his vigilante group aim to keep Obo safe. The gun is home-made and the other weapons are basic. People here are not so sure. Joseph Kony and the LRA.

Image source, Getty Images. The soldiers have also brought problems. Mr Mbolihundo wants to protect his family and other members of the community. Ugandan soldiers will no longer be around to protect people in Obo. Obo is surrounded by the jungle where Kony and his men are believed to be hiding. Related Topics. Central African Republic Uganda. Published 20 August