Kony 2012: Viral Campaign Aims to Take Down War Criminal [Video]

If you’ve been on Twitter lately, you’ve probably seen the #Kony2012 or the #stopkony hashtag. So what is Kony 2012? A documentary has recently been released about one of the world’s most wanted war criminals, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, Joseph Kony.

The viral campaign, produced by the Invisible Children movement, seeks to make Joseph Kony a household name all of the world in the hopes that more people will start paying attention to the daily atrocities committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Africa.

The Global Post reports that the International Criminal Court has issued warrants for Kony and the four other leading members of the LRA. The warrants were issued in 2005 and included 33 charges including murder, rape, and the enlistment of child soldiers. The ICC says that the LRA has forced more than 30,000 children into combat.

The Kony 2012 website reads:

“If the world knows who Joseph Kony is, it will unite to stop him. It starts here.”

The website also asks people to sign a pledge that reads: Joseph Kony is one of the world’s worst war criminals and I support the international effort to arrest him, disarm the LRA, and bring the child soldiers home.”

Here’s a video by The Invisible Children about Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army.

The Global Post reports that the United States sent a team of 100 US Soldiers to Uganda to try help the Ugandan military track down Joseph Kony. So far, the soldiers have not been able to stop Kony or the LRA but the Invisible Children hope that the documentary will convince the US military to continue their search for Kony.

Several celebrities have already joined the cause. Rihana tweeted: #KONY2012 Spread the word!!!

British journalist Stephen Fry said: Well, we’re really making #Kony2012 go viral now! Good work everyone, I should have hissy fits more often. The man must be exposed.

Do you think the 2012 Kony viral campaign will help stop Joseph Kony and the LRA?