On November 6, 2025, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague took a historic step by confirming all 39 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Joseph Kony, the elusive founder and leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). This confirmation, delivered by the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber III, marks the first time the court has formally confirmed charges in a suspect’s absence, setting a precedent for how international justice might proceed when defendants remain at large.
Kony, now 64, has been the subject of an ICC arrest warrant since 2005, making him the tribunal’s longest-standing fugitive. Despite years of international attention—especially after a viral video in 2012 brought global awareness to his crimes—he remains at large. The latest decision ensures that if Kony is ever apprehended, he will immediately face trial for a sweeping indictment that covers a dark chapter in Uganda’s history.
According to the ICC’s official decision, there are “substantial grounds to believe that Mr. Kony is responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, allegedly committed between at least July 1, 2002, and December 31, 2005, in northern Uganda.” The charges stem from a protracted conflict between the LRA and the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), which devastated the Acholi, Lango, and Teso regions of northern Uganda. The violence extended beyond Uganda’s borders, with the LRA also attacking villages in Congo, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
The scale and brutality of the crimes attributed to Kony and the LRA are staggering. Judges found there was compelling evidence that Kony orchestrated a campaign of terror targeting civilians he perceived as government supporters, ordering attacks on schools and camps for internally displaced persons. The LRA’s methods included murder, attempted murder, torture, enslavement, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, rape, persecution on political, age, and gender grounds, sexual slavery, pillaging, and the wanton destruction of property. The court also held that Kony was directly responsible for 10 charges related to two victims forced to become his wives, including enslavement, forced marriage, rape, torture, and persecution.
The atrocities were not limited to adults. The LRA became infamous for abducting tens of thousands of children—boys forced into combat and girls subjected to sexual slavery and forced marriage. As one protected witness told CourtHouse News, “I saw children younger than me being trained to shoot with weapons. I knew they were so young because the muzzles of their AK-47 rifles dragged on the ground when they carried them on their shoulders.” The campaign of abductions and violence forced more than a million people into displacement camps at the conflict’s peak, leaving lasting scars on the social and cultural fabric of northern Uganda.
Prosecutors welcomed the confirmation of charges, calling it a crucial step toward accountability. As reported by UNN, prosecutors stated, “This ensures that Joseph Kony—once arrested—can immediately stand trial on these charges.” They emphasized that efforts to locate and arrest Kony are ongoing, with the hope that justice for the victims will eventually be realized. The LRA, once a formidable force, is now largely destroyed, but the impact of its crimes continues to reverberate across Uganda and neighboring countries.
The ICC’s confirmation hearing, held in September 2025, was itself a legal milestone. It was conducted in Kony’s absence, with defense counsel Peter Haynes representing him. Haynes argued that the proceedings violated Kony’s fair trial rights, pointing out that “the empty chair impacted the preparation of the defense.” Nevertheless, the Chamber rejected the defense’s request for a conditional stay, finding no reason to halt the process. The court concluded that the prosecution’s allegations—that Kony issued constant orders for attacks on civilian settlements, killings, looting, and abductions—were substantiated to the necessary standard for moving the case forward.
The confirmation of charges does not mean the trial will commence immediately. Under the ICC’s Rome Statute, trials cannot proceed in the suspect’s absence. The court’s ruling preserves the case and evidence, ensuring that everything is ready for trial should Kony be apprehended. The decision also sets a precedent for future cases where suspects evade capture, such as those involving other high-profile figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as noted by the Associated Press.
The roots of the LRA’s insurgency trace back to the late 1980s, when Kony, hailing from the Acholi region, tapped into local grievances after President Yoweri Museveni’s government ousted northern officers from political and military power. Kony’s rebellion mixed Christian mysticism with a promise to defend the Acholi community, but it quickly devolved into a campaign of terror. Over nearly two decades, the LRA’s actions resulted in the deaths of approximately 100,000 people, according to United Nations estimates, and left countless others physically and psychologically scarred.
The ICC’s decision also reflects on the broader struggle for justice in post-conflict societies. As deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang stated in his opening remarks last month, “The social and cultural fabric of Northern Uganda has been torn apart and it is still struggling to rebuild itself.” The confirmation of charges, while largely symbolic for now, offers a measure of hope to survivors and affected communities that justice may one day be served.
In the years since the ICC first issued arrest warrants in 2005, several of Kony’s top commanders have been brought to justice. Dominic Ongwen, once a child abductee turned LRA commander, was convicted by the ICC in 2021. The other commanders named in the original warrants are now deceased. Kony, however, remains at large, a fugitive whose capture would finally allow the full weight of international justice to be brought to bear.
The ICC’s confirmation of charges against Joseph Kony underscores both the challenges and the necessity of international justice. While the trial cannot proceed until he is apprehended, the court’s actions ensure that the case is not forgotten and that the evidence remains preserved. For the people of northern Uganda and all those affected by the LRA’s crimes, the decision is a reminder that, even after decades, the pursuit of accountability continues.
Should Kony ever be brought to The Hague, he will face one of the most comprehensive indictments in the court’s history, encompassing crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during one of Africa’s most brutal insurgencies. Until then, the world watches and waits, hoping that justice delayed will not be justice denied.
