The Hague, Netherlands – For more than two decades, Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has haunted Uganda’s history. Today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) took a historic step, opening a war crime hearing against him even though Kony himself remains at large.
This is the first time in ICC history that such proceedings are being held without the accused present. Kony faces 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, abduction, sexual enslavement, and forced pregnancy.
Inside the courtroom in The Hague, prosecutors laid out horrific details of Kony’s crimes. But at the center of it all was an empty chair, a chilling reminder that the man accused of tearing apart thousands of lives is still free.
Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang captured the gravity of the moment:
“The social and cultural fabric of northern Uganda has been torn apart, and it is still struggling to rebuild itself.”
In northern Uganda, survivors gathered in Gulu to watch the proceedings on a big screen provided by ICC. For many, the hearing brought mixed emotions, relief that their suffering was finally being recognized, but also deep frustration that Kony remains beyond the reach of justice.
One survivor, Everlyn Ayo, recalled the horrors she witnessed as a child:
“The rebels raided the school, killed and cooked our teachers in big drums, and we were forced to eat their remains. Seeing all that blood as a child traumatised my eyes.”
Her voice joined thousands who still carry scars from the LRA’s reign of terror. Between 2002 and 2005 alone, an estimated 60,000 children were abducted, more than 100,000 people were killed, and 2.5 million were displaced across central Africa.
Despite a $5 million U.S. reward and international manhunts, Kony has never been captured. His whereabouts remain unknown. Today, under Article 61(2) of the Rome Statute, the ICC is pressing forward, determined to confirm charges against him even in absentia.
His court-appointed lawyer, Peter Haynes, argued that the process is unfair:
“The empty chair impacted the preparation of the defense.”
Yet for survivors, the hearing is not about legal technicalities but about recognition.
Back home, reactions are divided. Some, like Odong Kajumba, who was captured by the LRA in 1996, welcomed the move:
“He did many bad things. If they can arrest Kony, I am very happy.”
Others, like former MP Odonga Otto, dismissed the hearing as symbolic:
“Why do you want to try a man you can’t get? They should first get him. It’s a mockery.”
Legal experts say the Kony case could set a precedent for future fugitives, including world leaders facing ICC warrants. International law professor Michael Scharf noted:
“Everything that happens at the ICC is precedent for the next case.”
For the survivors of northern Uganda, today’s hearing is not just about international law. It is about children stolen from classrooms, families destroyed, and communities still healing from wounds that never fully close.
ICC hearing will last three days. Judges will then decide whether to confirm the charges, ensuring that if Kony is ever captured, the path to trial is ready.
For the world, this is a moment of legal history. But for northern Uganda, it is something deeper, a reminder that justice delayed is painful, yet justice denied would be unbearable.
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