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Invisible Children
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Independence
Uganda attains independece from Britain. First elections held. -
Joseph Kony Comes Into the World
Joseph Kony was born to the Acholi people in the village of Odek in northern Uganda. Sources are uncertain of the exact date -
Altar Boy
Joseph Kony was born into an impoverished rural family in northern Uganda. He was an altar boy in his youth and dropped out of school to become a traditional healer. -
Yoweri Museveni
He and his rebel army overthrows Bazilio Olara-- Okello's military government. -
The Holy Spirit Movement
Kony proclaimed himself a prophet and took charge of what remained of Lakwena’s group, the Holy Spirit Movement. This formed the seed of what would later become the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). -
Joseph Kony
He began to lead an armed struggle in the north against the Museveni government which had alienated many in that area. Kony's group is known as the "LRA" (Lord's Resistance Army) but his brutality eventually led to the loss of local support. There is much written about this today and the very well known The Invisible Children is about this issue. -
President Museveni
President Museveni restored traditional kings, but with no political power. -
Army Strong
Kony's army became stronger when it recieved aid from the corrupt government of Sudan. Omar Al-Bashir wanted revenge on the Sudanese rebels. This is how the LRA survives, by helping corrupt government officals. -
The Voices
Prophecies from spirits in dreams aided Kony in his decision to order the LRA to attack villages, murdering, raping, and mutilating in a campaign that displaced two million people. Children were abducted and brainwashed into becoming soldiers and slaves. Kony convinced them that Holy Water made them bulletproof. Children who resisted or tried to escape were beaten to death by their peers. Kony was reported to have taken more than fifty of his female captives as "wives". -
Night Commuters
The government started making camps for people to take refuge from Kony's maniacle raids. Children living in villages in northern Uganda became known as "night commuters", walking miles every eveing to the relative safety of the camps or towns hoping to be spared from abduction. -
A Prophet
Kony, now leader of the LRA, become a key figure in the regional struggle waged in northern Uganda. He declared himself a prophet with mystical powers and claimed that he wanted to overthrow the Museveni government and replace it with one based on the Bible’s Ten Commandments. -
Invisible Children
Jason Russel, founder of the Invisible Children organization, became aware of the need for intervention when he visited Uganda and met children who were directly effected by the actions of the LRA. -
Ugandan children
Dec 2003 Ugandan children are growing up in fear of being abducted or killed as the Lord's Resistance Army continues to terrorise Northern Uganda. The LRA has abducted over 5,000 children in the last year and made them into child killers. Thousands flee to neighbouring villages during the night in a desperate attempt to avoid abduction. After 17 years of civil war, President Museveni's call for patience is beginning to wear thin. Uganda's plea for international help still goes unheeded. The US a -
Convincing the World
The Invisible Children organization began its journey in convincing the United States government there was a serious problem that needed to be solveed in Uganda. Jason Russel, the founder, fought to make sure that he kept a promise to a young arfican boy he met in 2003 -
Kony surfaced
In May, Kony surfaced for the first time in 12 years for negotiations with the Ugandan government. A ceasefire was declared in August but negotiations for peace dragged on for over 18 months. -
Ugandan government and the LRA
In April, the Ugandan government and the LRA agreed to peace but when the day came to sign the peace agreement, Kony was nowhere to be found. At the time, Kony was believed to be operating from a base in the Central African Republic.
By November, Uganda’s neighbours threatened to join forces in an attack on the LRA if Kony does not sign the peace agreement. The US backed air-strikes and ground attacks against the groups forces in the DRC. -
President Obama
In October, US President Barack Obama authorised 100 armed military advisers to assist Uganda in the search for the leadership of the LRA. During the Bush administration, the US also sent counterterrorism advisers to Uganda to train troops and provided millions of dollars worth of funding to the Ugandan army. -
Hide and Seek Just Got Harder
Not long after the United States devised a plan to capture Kony, the number one criminal became aware of this plan. He changed his tactics in order to avoid arrest since the "great power" was after him. -
The Video
In early March, the US-based charity group Invisible Children releases a video which it says “aims to make Joseph Kony famous to raise support for his arrest”. The video went viral with over 74-million views on Youtube in a matter of days.
Kony has not been seen in Uganda for at least six years. It’s estimated that the LRA, which continues to operate in South Sudan, the DRC and Central Africa Republic now has no more than 400 members left. -
Oprah Winfrey
The Obama administration joins Oprah Winfrey and other luminaries in throwing its support behind the video. "We congratulate the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have mobilized to this unique crisis of conscience," says Press Secretary Jay Carney. -
Christian foundations
Reports suggest that Invisible Children is funded by Christian foundations that are strong supporters of creationism and anti-gay movements. -
Ugandans
Ugandans throw rocks at a screening of Kony 2012 in the town of Lira, complaining that the film is a "foreign, inaccurate account that belittled and commercialized their suffering," says Malcolm Webb at Al Jazeera. -
Views
Kony 2012 nears the 86-million-viewer mark on YouTube. -
Cover The Night
Invisible Children wants to make Kony famous in order to make everyone aware of how crucial it is that he be arrested. This night is will literally put his face everywhere. People who believe in this movement will cover the city with posters of Kony's face to raise awareness of the importance of his arrest.
