African terrorist must answer for his crimes against children

Judging by worldwide reaction to the Kony 2012 film on YouTube, most people appear to be unfamiliar with what has been going on in Africa for decades. The war of terror being waged by the Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, in the East African nation of Uganda is by no means an aberration.

Even Kony’s abduction of tens of thousands of children to be soldiers, sexual companions or servants, isn’t so unusual. The many African nations that have been ravaged by civil war give new meaning to the phrase “man’s inhumanity to man.”

Millions of Africans have been killed, mutilated or left to starve to death by immoral warlords, tribal chieftains or even supposedly legitimate national leaders.

Thus, anyone familiar with the history of post-independent Africa would not be surprised by “Kony 2012,” a film from Invisible Children Inc., a San Diego-based activist organization. Invisible Children aims to focus attention on the atrocities committed by Joseph Kony with the goal of bringing about his arrest.

In that regard, the film has struck a nerve worldwide. It has been watched more than 100 million times on YouTube, and has triggered discussions about the Lord’s Resistance Army and the pain and suffering endured by the children.

Children who resisted joining the force have been permanently disfigured.

As a result of the film, the spotlight is turned on such organizations as the African Union, which has failed to make the capture of Kony a priority — even with the assistance of 100 U.S. military advisors. It also highlights the sheer incompetence of the United Nations in dealing with countless incidents of human rights violations across the continent.

The Kony story, while unbelievable to many, has been known in the Mahoning Valley for at least seven years. In July 2005, a Canfield couple, Julie and Jerry Maruskin, traveled to Gulu, the epicenter of fighting between Kony’s rebels and the Ugandan armed forces, to develop plans for a two-wing “Safe Harbor House” for the children who had been forced to serve in Kony’s army or had been physically punished for resisting.

Charitable organization

The Maruskins established Hearts for a Safe Harbor, a charitable nonprofit organization, which is still aiding war-traumatized youth in northern Uganda.

To Valley residents who have contributed to the effort to bring care and comfort to the hundreds of children in need, Kony 2012 is a stark reminder of the rebel leaders ability to elude capture.

In 2005, the International Criminal Court indicted him on 33 charges, including murder, rape and the kidnapping of children. But he has never been brought to justice.

One of the disheartening aspects of the Kony 2012 film going viral is the effort by African leaders and others to denigrate the message. They argue that Kony is no longer causing death and destruction in Uganda and his army has been neutralized.

Even if that were true, the fact remains that one of the most evil human beings remains free today. He deserves to die — for the sake of the children.

But, hope springs eternal. This week, the International Criminal Court reached its first verdict, finding a Congolese rebel leader guilty of using children as soldiers in violation of international law.