The International Criminal Court (ICC) says it is working closely with international partners to secure the long-awaited arrest of fugitive Ugandan warlord and Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony, so he can finally stand trial for atrocities committed in northern Uganda.
Leonie von Braun, one of the ICC’s trial lawyers handling the Kony case, on November 28 urged victims not to lose hope, reaffirming the Court’s commitment to bringing the rebel leader to justice despite years of setbacks.
“We are working with our partners to have him arrested and surrendered, but until that time, the next steps will not materialize,” von Braun said during a virtual media briefing from The Hague.
She further reassured the victims:
“The international community and victims of northern Uganda should not give up hope because we shall still succeed in arresting him.”
Von Braun declined to reveal which states or agencies are assisting in the manhunt, citing sensitivity and security concerns.
“I cannot share details about who our partners are or what information we are exchanging. It’s too sensitive and too risky to put this in the public domain,” she noted.
Her comments come barely a month after the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber III confirmed all 39 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Kony—the first time in the Court’s history that charges have been confirmed against a suspect in absentia.
Dahirou Santa-Anna, the ICC’s International Cooperation Adviser, described the decision as “historic.”
“This is an important milestone because, in the history of the ICC, it is the first time judges have confirmed charges against a suspect who is not present,” he said.
Why Kony’s Arrest Has Taken Decades
Von Braun explained that Kony has remained elusive largely because he has been moving across regions where governments are not party to the Rome Statute, making formal cooperation and arrest operations extremely difficult.
“He has been operating in territories where members to the Rome Statute are not present, which complicates cooperation for his arrest,” she said.
She also emphasized that the ICC has no military force of its own.
“The ICC does not have a standby army. We rely entirely on our partners to assist in arresting and surrendering fugitives,” she added.
Joseph Kony is widely believed to be hiding in the sparsely governed forests of the Central African Republic, where limited state presence continues to impede his capture.
