Pressure for Kony Arrest Continues as Rebels Kidnap Hundreds

Amnesty International continued to press for action by government officials in the Congo, Sudan, and Central African Republic to free over 350 people kidnapped over the past several weeks by Ugandan rebels, led by fugitive Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony.^[1]

In a statement released earlier this week, Amnesty International asserted that those kidnapped, “ including scores of women and children -- are likely to be used as child combatants and sex slaves, and yet none of the governments in the region have done anything to try to secure their release.”^[2] Amnesty International called upon the United Nations, as well as the African governments, to take action to assist those taken captive by the LRA. "The governments of Sudan, the CAR and the DRC -- with the assistance of the U.N. -- must join forces to secure the safety and release of those kidnapped immediately and bring those responsible to justice."^[3]

Amnesty International is not the only group calling for the arrest of Kony. The LRA leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes he allegedly committed during one of Africa’s longest armed conflicts. ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo expressed concern as to the safety of those abducted, as well as dismay at the possibility that those abducted would be forced into serving in the LRA.^[4]

The Ugandan government has been holding peace talks with Kony to end the civil war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, but negotiations collapsed early this month when Kony refused to come out of hiding for a planned meeting. Kony is cites his fear of arrest and extradition to the ICC as the reason he has not personally attended peace negotiations for the past two years. It is believed that he is currently hiding in the Congo’s Garamba Forest.^[5]

Further information on Kony can be found in the International Crimes Blog, with specific information found here.


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[1] Francis Kwera, Uganda rebels kidnap 350 people, Reuters Africa, April 22, 2008 (available at www.reuters.com).

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] Id.

[5] Id.