The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday (April 03) it will offer a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest, transfer or conviction of fugitive warlord Joseph Kony and some of his top aides.

"We act today so that there can be justice for the innocent men, women, and children who have been subjected to mass murder, to rape, to amputation, enslavement, and other atrocities," said Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Stephen J. Rapp.

Kony, who has been accused of terrorising northern Uganda for 20 years, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. His guerrillas in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) are accused of abducting children to use as fighters and sex slaves, and of hacking off victims' limbs as a method of intimidation and revenge.

In addition to Kony and his aids Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen, the leader of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda Sylvestre Mudacumura was named in the rewards announcement.

Kony was the subject of possibly the biggest viral campaign in the history of the Internet in 2012, after a short film directed and starring activist Jason Russell blazed a trail across social media. 'Stop Kony' raised massive awareness for the LRA leader.

Uganda