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Joseph Kony Born
Joseph Kony was born in July-September 1961. An exact date is not known. He was born in an Odek, a village east of Gulu in northern Uganda. He is a member of the Acholi people. Joseph Kony enjoyed a good relationship with his siblings, but was quick to retaliate in a dispute and when confronted he would often resort to physical violence. -
The Holy Spirit Movement
An exact date is not known but the event is known to have happened in the early 80s. Alice Lakwena formed The Holy Spirit Movement. She claims that a holy spirit told her to get rid of the Ugandan Government. The government was apparently treating the Alcholi people of the north unfairly. -
Joseph Kony Creates LRA
In 1986 Joseph Kony joined The Holy Spirit Movement and quickly took power and changes the name of the movement to the LRA, the Lords Resistance army. -
Oporation North
The Ugandan government launches "Operation North". This armed local villages to combat the LRA; in retaliation, Kony massacres and mutilates suspected government supporters among the Acholi population. -
Raid on St. Mary's College
More than 200 LRA rebels attack and raid St. Mary's College in the northern Ugandan town of Aboke, abducting 139 girls between the ages of 13 and 16. Many of these girls were given to LRA commanders as "wives" and many died in captivity. This incident was one of the first to bring LRA abductions to the attention of the international community. -
Ugandan Government Relocates Acholi Villagers
Late 1996, the Ugandan government begins moving Acholi villagers into "protected villages" to shield them from LRA attacks; however, these displacement camps are overcrowded, unsanitary places susceptible to rebel incursions. -
Operation Iron Fist
Child Soilders and Warfare EnvironmentThe government launches "Operation Iron Fist" against the LRA forces in northern Uganda and Southern Sudan sparks a bloody counteroffensive by the LRA. Areas that were previously untouched by the conflict are now engulfed in the fighting, this causing even more widespread displacement than before. -
Arrests Warrants Out
The ICC issues arrest warrants for Joseph Kony and his top lieutenants. The warrants are for war crimes and and crimes against humanity including murder, rape, sexual slavery and enlistment of children as combatants. -
Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps receives permission from Ugandan government to begin humanitarian operations in Pader District, where 95% of the population has been forced from their homes. The first program focuses on agricultural recovery: Mercy Corps distributes seeds and tools to more than 8,800 people. -
Tempory Ceasfire
Both sides agree to a temporary ceasefire. The Ugandan government establishes "return camps" to begin returning families to their villages of origin. The LRA gathers its forces in South Sudan for the time being and no new attacks are reported.
