The Rescue

It is difficult to imagine a more heartless and sick man than Joseph Kony. Before I attended the Invisible Children’s presentation of The Rescue of Joseph Kony’s Child Soldiers, I had no idea what was actually happening in the third world African nation of Uganda. I had heard of the invisible children, but I had no idea who they actually were or what happened to them. Now I know, though I’m not sure whether I’m particularly glad to have this painful knowledge on my conscience.

The cause of the problem emanated long ago, when the British came to Africa and gave jobs to the South Ugandans, but made the Acholi people of the North servants, thus facilitating a class dichotomy between the two factions. The North rebelled under now-president Yoweri Museveni in 1981. The Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, was formed in 1987 by Joseph Kony. Kony has been capturing children for years now and turning them into child soldiers against their will.

Three friends from California formed Invisible Children after taking a trip to Africa and meeting and befriending a former child soldier named Jacob. It has become a nationwide sensation, as millions of people now understand and support the message that these three kids have spread.

By now, Kony has abducted and enslaved over 30,000 children. He is a murderer, torturer, mutilator, and self-proclaimed messiah. Some of the maniacal disfigurements shown in the video are so utterly detestable and senseless that you are nearly forced to look away. They showed images of kids without noses, where the septum was openly exposed to view, eyes gouged out, whole mouths sliced off—atrocities. Just thinking about how somebody could possibly live with himself after having committed such crimes against humanity like these makes me want to vomit.

The movie showed that the kids are not the only ones trying to help, though. Betty Bigombe, a peace negotiator who survived a rare meeting with Kony, signed 25,000 hand-written letters promising to resettle children from the LRA. These children then immediately began defecting. Unfortunately, due to the rash of defections, Kony started a mass mutilation of children, forcing Bigombe to cease her admirable work.

Peace talks have been initiated between Kony and the Ugandan government many times, but he always backs out at the last moment. Recent talks seemed even more prominent than usual, and hundreds of soldiers, Bigombe, and the three creators of Invisible Children all headed out to the meeting site to finally end the war. After days of waiting, Kony was nowhere to be found—he remained in the bush less than a kilometer away.

Uganda is not a priority for international relief due to having no oil and nothing to “win.” That’s why it’s so impressive how much these three kids have gotten done by themselves—they are commanding the attention of senators and congressmen around the country. They keep only 10% of the total money they make to run Invisible Children and pay minimal salaries to be able to ensure their own livelihood while they travel around the nation—the other 90% goes directly to the aid in Uganda, which is primarily invested in economic stability and education. Brandon Palma, one of the representatives from Invisible Children, told us “We need your help to end this war as soon as possible.” But after seeing the video and the desperation of all those involved, will this war ever end?