Web versus Warlord

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Video Courtesy of STOP KONY 2012!!

A controversial new campaign has spread like wildfire online with more than 21 million views on YouTube in 3 days.

What is it?

An American Charity organization called Invisible Children has created a 28-minute film about warlord Joseph Kony, leader of the guerilla group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Kony’s army purportedly murders, mutilates and abducts children, forcing 60,000 Ugandan youth to become a part of his renegade army. He continues these acts in other parts of Africa as well.

THE GOAL

In October 2011, President Obama authorized the deployment of 100 U.S. Army advisors to help the Ugandan military track down Kony, with no results disclosed to date. The goal is to make sure that President Obama doesn’t withdraw the advisors he deployed until Kony is captured or killed.

With high quality production, this film and campaign has taken over all major social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Tumblr. By raising awareness about the warlord Kony, the campaign aspires to have him captured by December 31, 2012. To spread even MORE awareness, on April 20, 2012, they will ‘Cover the Night’ putting up hundreds of thousands of posters overnight.

BUT !!

Just as the popularity of this social media campaign has spread, so has its criticisms. Some suggest the campaign, which seems to target college students, failed to criticize the Ugandan government’s role in the story. Others question the funding of the charirty behind the campaign.

Is Joesph Kony still in Uganda?

Not according to Micheal Wilkerson a freelance journalist and Ph.D. who has lived and reported from Uganda. According to him,

Joseph Kony is not in Uganda and hasn’t been for 6 years; 2) the LRA now numbers at most in the hundreds, and while it is still causing immense suffering, it is unclear how millions of well-meaning but misinformed people are going to help deal with the more complicated reality.

Invisible Children has responded to these allegations with a breakdown on there organization (even with a cool chart) here stating:

Let’s focus on what matters, and what we DO agree on: Joseph Kony needs to be stopped. And when that happens, peace is the limit. This is the beautiful beginning of an ending that is just the beginning. We are defending tomorrow. And it’s hopeful.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS???

Here are just a few tweets About KONY Campaign from Celebs