Hello netizens,
We thought of starting a discussion around a certain Mr. Kony who has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. His videos of child abduction have become viral in the last few weeks. Here, we briefly look into Mr. Kony's crimes, role of America and whether this has anything to do with the recent discovery of new oil wells.
Mr. Joseph Kony is by no means a Saint and has been doing this for close to a decade now. As the video shows us, Mr. Kony is a bad guy in Uganda and his army (LRA) kidnaps, enslaves and murders innocent children. Mr. Kony was apparently tutored by his Aunt who herself had engaged in kidnappings for forced conscriptions . How he has managed to hold together his army has involved what would be called 'brainwashing'. Mr. Kony has managed to thoroughly convince many of his young warriors which are a part of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) that the Holy Spirit can shield them in battle if the proper belief, application of holy oil, number of signs of the cross and recitation of prayer songs are displayed in combat. It is also learnt that LRA fighters are asked to sew a stone into their clothing so a mountain may be projected in front of them as they advance towards enemy Ugandan soldiers. LRA's operations are launched from several other countries including Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. To put it plainly these factions believe in "Magic Wars"
A documentary by a group of American filmmakers titled Invisible Children which depicts the views about the human right abuses by Joseph Kony's army (Lord's Resistance Army) was also released way back in 2006. Interestingly, Visible Children (http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/) which has questioned the legitimacy of Invisible Children was temporarily blocked from being posted on facebook ten days back when videos of Invisible Children and anti-Kony groups were going viral.
The Ugandan government would take him down, not without America assisting them with advanced weapons and military training. So what has America done? It has signed into the law the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Ugandan Recovery Act of 2009. The legislation crystallises the commitment of America to help bring an end to this mayhem and to pursue a greater security and hope for the people of Central Africa.
In October 2011, Obama announced the deployment of 100 special operative troops to Uganda on a capture or kill mission aimed at Mr. Kony. Why does this coincide with the news of the discovery of new oil field in Uganda? Is it a mere coincidence that America wants to secure it's oil interests in Uganda or is it really concerned about the decade long kidnapping of children which has only seen the light less than a fortnight ago? Why has it taken this long for a crime of this proportion to become known to the wider audience after nearly a decade?
These are some pertinent questions that need to be answered by Uncle Sam.
PS: It is in no manner advocated that Mr. Kony is framed. A strong and swift response is highly anticipated. But, if the same is done using it as a pretext to achieve higher and more lucrative goals, then it is dubious and requires a rethink.
These are some pertinent questions that need to be answered by Uncle Sam.
PS: It is in no manner advocated that Mr. Kony is framed. A strong and swift response is highly anticipated. But, if the same is done using it as a pretext to achieve higher and more lucrative goals, then it is dubious and requires a rethink.
Useful links:
1. Petraitis, R. 2003. Joseph Kony's Spirit War. (URL: http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_petraitis/spirit_war.html)
2. Visible Children (URL: http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/)
3. Dixon, B.A. 2012. Social Media Scam Alert: Top Ten Ways to Tell Kony is Phony. The Hidden Agenda is to Invade Africa (URL: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29777)
4. Mugerwa, F. 2011. Uganda: Tullow Tests Buliisa Oil Wells. (URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/201109080186.html)
5. BBC. 2011. Cashing in on Uganda's oil boom (URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15645354)
6.KONY 2012 EXPOSED (URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uct3dyDVgts&feature=related)
