NEWS & POLITICS
ICC confirms 39 war crimes charges against LRA leader Joseph Kony
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed 39 charges against Joseph Kony, the elusive leader of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between 2002 and 2005.
Staff Writer 
THE HAGUE, Nov 6 (Running Africa) - In a statement released on Thursday, November 6, the pre-trial chamber said it found “substantial grounds to believe” that Kony is responsible for 29 charges as an indirect co-perpetrator, as well as for ordering and inducing atrocities carried out by the LRA during attacks on schools and internally displaced persons’ camps. The court noted that the crimes included “systematic abuses against children and women abducted and forced into the LRA.”
The pre-trial hearings, held on September 9 and 10, proceeded in Kony’s absence as he remains at large. ICC statutes prohibit trials in absentia, meaning proceedings can only move forward once he is apprehended. A warrant for his arrest has been outstanding since 2005, making him the ICC’s longest-wanted fugitive.
Despite extensive international efforts — including a $5 million bounty offered by the U.S. government for information leading to his capture — Kony continues to evade arrest.
As the founder of the LRA, Kony claimed spiritual authority and declared war on the Ugandan government under President Yoweri Museveni. His forces are accused of abducting tens of thousands of children, forcing boys into combat and enslaving girls as “wives.”
Image: hrw.org
The ICC’s confirmation of charges reignites debate over the court’s focus on Africa, with critics arguing that the tribunal disproportionately targets leaders from the continent while overlooking abuses elsewhere.
In a statement released on Thursday, November 6, the pre-trial chamber said it found “substantial grounds to believe” that Kony is responsible for 29 charges as an indirect co-perpetrator, as well as for ordering and inducing atrocities carried out by the LRA during attacks on schools and internally displaced persons’ camps. The court noted that the crimes included “systematic abuses against children and women abducted and forced into the LRA.”
The pre-trial hearings, held on September 9 and 10, proceeded in Kony’s absence as he remains at large. ICC statutes prohibit trials in absentia, meaning proceedings can only move forward once he is apprehended. A warrant for his arrest has been outstanding since 2005, making him the ICC’s longest-wanted fugitive.
Despite extensive international efforts — including a $5 million bounty offered by the U.S. government for information leading to his capture — Kony continues to evade arrest.
As the founder of the LRA, Kony claimed spiritual authority and declared war on the Ugandan government under President Yoweri Museveni. His forces are accused of abducting tens of thousands of children, forcing boys into combat and enslaving girls as “wives.”
The ICC’s confirmation of charges reignites debate over the court’s focus on Africa, with critics arguing that the tribunal disproportionately targets leaders from the continent while overlooking abuses elsewhere.
