A man who is on the WHOLE WORLD’s most wanted list, but how much do we really know about him? We know his crime, but we don’t know why he’s doing it. Maybe if we knew more about his background, we would know what led to this crime to humanity.
Joseph Rao Kony was in born in 1961 sometime around July. He was born in a village in northern Uganda called Odek. His father, Luizi Obol, was a born farmer. As was his mother, Nora Obol. Kony and his parents are of the Acholi people. Kony and his family were thought to be good catholic people. His father was a lay catechist of the Catholic Church, and his mother was an Anglican. Kony was an alter boy for several years, but he stopped attending church around the age of 15. At that time, he also stopped attending school. Kony had a good relationship with his family. They were all very close. However, he often dealt with disagreements in a violent way. He was always quick to get revenge on his siblings. His older brother, Jamie, was the village witch doctor. After Kony dropped out of school, Jamie taught him everything he knew about doctoring. When Jamie passed away, Kony took over as the village witch doctor.

As Kony got older, he started to get involved with cults. He started as a small cult leader, but soon it grew to bigger more dangerous cults. The goal of Kony’s cults were to make Uganda a pure catholic country, with people that have only followed the Ten Commandments. Kony’s group was originally called the United Holy Salvation Army (UHSA), but we now know it as the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). He formed this resistance in 1987. At first, the National Riffle Association (NRA) didn’t perceive them as a threat. But soon, many were joining the LRA to form a rebellion against the Ugandan government. Among them, the founder of the Uganda’s People Democratic Army, Odong Latek. Odong convinced Kony to use standard military tactics instead of attacking in cross-shaped formations and sprinkling holy water. The new tactics were a success. The LRA won several victories against the NRA, and the Ugandan government. If the LRA wins, Kony has promised that Uganda will become a theocracy, having laws based on the Biblical Ten Commandments.
Most of Kony’s soldiers were children that he abducted. He would kill their family and friends giving them no choice but to fight for him. Sometimes, he would make them kill their own family as an initiation. The men served as soldiers, and if they were to young Kony would send them out to war as decoys or targets, sent to the front lines unarmed. He would use the kidnapped children as pack mules, carrying around LRA supplies until they grew weak and couldn’t walk anymore. The woman he abducted would serve as “wives” for his Commanders, if they were attractive. They would get raped and beaten in front of their own family. Troublesome captives had their ears, lips, and noses cut off, and then are made to eat their own flesh. It’s still going on today.

Kony had very weird beliefs. He proclaims himself as a man of God. He believed that Spirits had possessed him; he claims 13 visit him. He says he gets strategic advice from Angels. Also, he believes in polygamy. As of 2007, he had 88 wives, along with 42 children. He claims he is fighting for the Ten Commandments. According to Francis Ogam, a former LRA officer, Kony “has found Bible justifications for killing witches, for killing (those who farm or eat) pigs because of the story of the Gadorene Swine, and for killing (other) people because God did the same with Noah’s flood and Sadam and Gomorrah. Kony is also reported to enjoy wearing woman’s dresses.

I believe that Joseph Kony went crazy with power. Kony still hasn’t been captured, and he is changing his tactics once more. If we don’t catch him soon, we might have another Holocaust going on in our world history. We can’t let it happen again.