As of February 26, 2025, the family of Joseph Kony, the fugitive leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has been repatriated to Uganda from the Central African Republic (CAR).
The group includes Kony’s wife, Ruth Achan, and their children—Maisa Amu, Betty Akidi, and Pope Kony.
They were received at Entebbe International Airport in the early hours of the morning by Uganda’s State Minister for Northern Uganda, Kenneth Omona.
The family is set to be resettled in Gulu, while Kony remains at large with a bounty of Shs 17 billion (approximately $4.5 million USD) on his head.
This repatriation follows previous efforts to bring former LRA members back to Uganda. In July 2023, Uganda received 14 former LRA fighters, along with their families, after they surrendered to CAR authorities. Led by Major General Ali Acaye, also known as “Doctor,” the group included 14 wives and 33 children.
Under Kony’s leadership, the LRA committed widespread atrocities, including abductions, mutilations, and killings of thousands of civilians across northern Uganda and neighbouring countries.
Though the group was forced out of Uganda in 2006, it continued operations in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the CAR. Kony remains wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Ugandan government has been facilitating the return and reintegration of former LRA members and their families as part of ongoing efforts to restore peace and stability in the affected regions.