by Zach Little

Over twenty-five years ago, people were being killed and children were being abducted in a region many regarded as politically insignificant. For over a quarter of a century, a man named Joseph Kony has commanded the army responsible for the horrific human rights violations plaguing Uganda and Central Africa. His Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) terrorized the region, killing innocent people and abducting children from their homes to make them into child soldiers for his army – abducted children oftentimes found themselves forced to kill members of their own family.

Kony makes himself out to be a God in a corner of the world where gods among men are not entirely far-fetched ideas. The horrors of Kony’s war continued on for far too long with little international attention. That is until three young filmmakers ventured to Africa looking for a story.

Invisible Children sprang forth from Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole’s trip to Uganda in 2003. The organization first released a documentary in 2005 to help raise awareness of the largely ignored crisis in Uganda and Central Africa. Found on their website, the organization “is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is committed to exposing atrocities around the world and developing the necessary solutions to ending conflicts that plague the lives of disadvantaged people.”

Invisible Children has launched numerous advocacy campaigns to raise the issue on a national level and to arm people with the knowledge of how to defeat Kony and end the war in Africa that has killed hundreds of thousands of innocents. Last March, the “25” campaign was noticeable around Loras campus. Representatives from Invisible Children visited Loras and hosted a film screening which drew a full house in the ACC ballrooms.

Over 90,000 people participated in the “25” campaign around the country, choosing to be silent for 25 hours – each hour of silence representing a year of war. Over 30,000 people helped to fund raise more than $1.7 million for the projects aimed at bringing peace to a region that has known no such thing for over 25 years. All these efforts help to stem the tide of the LRA and end Joseph Kony’s reign of terror. But Invisible Children set their sights even higher, enlisting the help of the President.

Last month, President Obama signed an agreement to send 100 military advisors and troops to the region to assist in the removal of Joseph Kony from the battlefield and to halt the brutal actions of the LRA. However, some are criticizing the president’s signing of the agreement, labeling it as just another unnecessary foreign involvement.

Let’s talk about unnecessary military involvement in recent history: Iraq. Well, I for one, am glad we had that little discussion just then.

Previous efforts to bring an end to this war include the “LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act,” which enjoyed substantial bipartisan support in both houses in 2010. Assisting the ongoing crisis in Central Africa reminds me of something. If your neighbor’s house is on fire you don’t haggle over the price of your garden hose. You crank the water on and help to quell the flames.

To those who are criticizing the President’s decision to send troops into a region plagued by one of Africa’s longest running wars are lacking (at minimum) one crucial piece of information: as Jedidiah Jenkins, the Director of Ideology for Invisible Children, stated, “[The troops] will not be involved in any offensive action. So any reference to an invasion or new war by the United States is absolutely ridiculous. This is a step in the right direction that we should all be proud of as Americans.”

So why do we intervene? We get involved because we have a moral imperative to do so. We intervene because “it’s that fundamental belief — I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper” that prevents the light of life from being extinguished across the globe. Because we have the means to bring such a senseless conflict to an end, to save a generation of innocent people from persecution, terrorism, and genocide, we must intervene. In short, we intervene because we must.

“Compelled to become instruments of war, to kill and be killed, child soldiers are forced to give violent expression to the hatreds of adults.”— Olara Otunnu

The world has long ignored the innocent hearts being forcefully conscripted into violence and hatred of the responsible adults. Children in Uganda are among the victims that have been forcefully pulled into war under the brutality of the notorious rebel group called Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony.

Traumatized and hurt, these innocent voices were silent and isolated until three students from California stood up for the cause. The movement has gained massive power, resulting in “Invisible Children” clubs in high schools, colleges and universities across the U.S.

The movement is young and strong, but even it has been unable to avoid the bloodshed. Nate Henn, a highly respected member of the organization, lost his life at the Kampala bombing during the 2010 World Cup.

As the movement grows, the challenges accelerate as well. Kony’s forces have expanded, and they continue to enslave Congolese children. Remote and helpless, the urge for support and rescue is as vital than ever.

On Monday, the Invisible Children team brought Achola Harriet, a victim from Uganda, to share her powerful and inspiring story. She grew up in war-torn northern Uganda, and she is among many college and high school students who have received scholarships from Invisible Children. She urges the world to save Ugandan and Congolese children from Joseph Kony, whose deeds she is well acquainted with.

“My life has changed and my voice is now heard because of Invisible Children,” said Achola Harriet. Invisible Children, with support reaching across the United States, is helping students like Achola, depending on their needs and education level. The cost of education, although comparatively low — a month at university is equal to about $65 for us — it is a struggle for many students of Uganda. Not only that, but they have created a protection plan improving the communication and rehabilitation projects within Congo to prevent further abduction.

Jeilah Kanake, president of the Loras Invisible Children, was happy about the turnout. “I just hope that (students) are inspired to do something … to be more active … and there are different ways to help. Come to our meeting, support through the website.”

Special to the Lorian

This past Saturday, young people around the world gathered together in peaceful demonstration to call for an end to the longest-running war in Africa. In northern Uganda, the Lord’s Resistance Army has been abducting children and forcing them to act as soldiers, witnessing and performing violent atrocities.

The non-profit organization Invisible Children coordinated awareness events in more than 100 cities around the world, where young people ‘abducted’ themselves to raise awareness of the issue in Uganda. The abductees stayed outside until a mogul (celebrity, musician or politician) came to rescue them, bringing the media with them to cover the event.

More than 30 other Duhawks and I drove to Chicago Saturday morning to take part in the demonstration. We marched through freezing rain and spent a few hours waiting to be rescued in Chicago’s Grant Park. The weather was terrible, and most of us weren’t prepared for the drop in temperatures or how drenched we would get. But overall, we all knew that we were there for a great cause.

Invisible Children is a movement that was started by three California guys not much older than we are who created a documentary about the child soldiers in Africa and showed it to their friends. Over the past few years, they have been able to effect some incredibly positive changes in the lives of the people of northern Uganda. Invisible Children helped petition the government to appoint a top U.S. peacekeeper to the region, and it also raised money on college campuses across the country for building schools to help educate the children in Uganda.

It was a very powerful experience to gather with so many of our peers, uniting for peace. I believe the Invisible Children movement is a clear example of how our generation truly can come together to make a difference in the world.

And while we Duhawks had to return to Dubuque on Sunday, many other rescuers stayed. As of this writing, Chicago abductees are still waiting to be rescued by their moguls. Around the world, 98 cities have been rescued, while Chicago and Richmond, VA, are still holding out. More than 100 rescuers have stayed on in Chicago waiting for rescue.

For up-to-the-minute information on the rescue, or to see which moguls turned out for the event, check www.invisiblechildren.com. And if you’d like to help rescue the demonstrators in Chicago, check the website for information on how to contact celebrities and politicians.

In Chicago this Saturday, April 25, about 2,000 people from 100 cities all over the world will gather in the hopes of being abducted.

Why? To protest the horrible tragedy that has been going on in Uganda for the past 23 years.

Joseph Kony is the suspected head of a guerrilla group that is terrorizing northern Uganda and allegedly has been abducting children and forcing them to kill their families and become soldiers for an army — the army of Invisible Children. This has become a problem in four countries: Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and Uganda. Kony’s army is estimated to consist of around 30,000 children.

Kony has insisted that such an army of children does not exist. Peace talks have been attempted but Kony has not attended any of them, despite agreeing to do so.

“The Invisible Children Movement is a movement to raise awareness of this problem,” said senior Detlef “Hans” Sleichter. “What we will do is all 2,000 of us will tie ourselves to a rope and walk for over 1.7 miles around Chicago, and we will go to Grant Park to camp overnight.”

A big celebrity will show up for groups of people to signify the rescue of these children. Some celebrities that are being talked about are Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey.

“We are supposed to stay there until the celebrity who is supposed to ‘rescue’ our group comes to get us,” said senior Joel Allen.

Sleichter, Allen and senior Nate Gee are organizing the Loras effort, which has not been officially recognized as part of the worldwide movement as of yet. They are trying to recruit people to the cause, even those on different continents.

“The movement is to get the governments of all these countries to realize what is happening and to spread the word that this needs to be stopped,” Sleichter said.

“Anyone can join up until the vans leave on Saturday. And if one needs any information, they can watch the documentary on www.invisiblechildren.com,” Sleichter added.