THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has definitively silenced years of speculation regarding the fate of Joseph Kony, the notorious leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Despite persistent rumours drifting across northern Uganda that the warlord had perished in the wilderness, the ICC maintains that Kony is still alive.
The confirmation was delivered last week by ICC senior trial lawyer Leonie Von Braun, who told journalists that the court’s decision to move forward with proceedings is based on concrete intelligence.
“I can say that all our information that we hold currently at the moment points to that he is still alive,” Von Braun stated. “Otherwise, we would also not have proceeded with the confirmation in absentia processes.”
A legal deadlock
This revelation reopens old wounds for communities that bore the brunt of the LRA’s brutal two-decade campaign of mass abductions, sexual slavery, and village massacres.
While the ICC recently confirmed 39 charges against Kony—including murder and rape—the legal process has now hit a significant constitutional wall.
Under ICC rules, while charges can be confirmed in the suspect’s absence, a full trial cannot commence unless the accused is physically present in the courtroom.
“The confirmation of the charge marks actually the end of the in absentia proceeding,” Von Braun explained. “We will not have a trial. Only if he gets arrested and handed over and appears before the judges in The Hague—that’s when we will be able to move to the next phase. The judges have made this clear.”
The challenge of capture
The elusive warlord has evaded capture for nearly 20 years since the ICC issued its first arrest warrant.
The court admits that apprehending him remains a logistical and geopolitical nightmare, as he is believed to operate in remote regions of Central Africa, often within countries that are not signatories to the Rome Statute.
“The ICC itself does not have a police force or a military force; so, we are working with our partners to see that he is brought into custody,” Von Braun said, declining to name the specific partner states due to the sensitivity of the operation. “We are working together to finally have him arrested and surrendered.”
She added that the lack of jurisdiction in certain territories complicates the manhunt: “That already gives you an indication of why it is difficult to secure his arrest.”
Support for victims continues
Dahirou Santa-Anna, the ICC’s international cooperation adviser, highlighted the historic nature of the proceedings, noting this is the first time judges have confirmed charges against a suspect in absentia.
However, he emphasized that the quest for a conviction has not halted efforts to aid survivors. For over a decade, the Trust Fund for Victims has been active in northern Uganda, offering physical and psychosocial rehabilitation.
Also Read: Kony’s daughters held captive by Russian mercenaries for four months
“There have been rehabilitation activities conducted by the Trust Fund for at least 15 years now in Uganda,” Santa-Anna noted. “The efforts did not wait for conviction to take place… before taking a step to provide some sort of assistance to victims in the whole area of northern Uganda.”
While the confirmation of life offers a glimmer of hope that Kony may one day face justice, it also serves as a stark reminder of the long shadow he continues to cast over a region still struggling to heal from the past.
