Why is America Obsessed with Ugandan Warlord Joseph Kony?

The US has recently re-launched a campaign to capture Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, as Obama vowed to send 150 additional Special Operations troops and four military aircrafts to Uganda, to help capture the warlord.

After a video about Koni's almost 30-year-long regime of terror, under which girls were sexually enslaved, while child soldiers were forced to join rebel group Lord Resistance Army, was released by Invisible Children in 2012, Kony's activities attracted Obama's administration's attention.

Two years later, media have been flooded again with a renewed anti-Kony campaign, which, however, might be put down to economic reasons, rather than the necessity to stop crimes against humanity.

According to independent journalist and reporter Fulvio Beltrami, who writes for Italian newspapers Indro and Reteluna.it, since Kony escaped North Uganda in 2005, he no longer poses a threat to the country.

"On many occasions, Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) and American marines have spotted and attacked LRA campuses where Kony lived; however, the attacks were always preceded by news leaks that allowed Kony to escape," Beltrami told IBTimesUK.

"The aim was to keep the 'Kony myth' alive, to justify UPDF and US Army's presence in key zones such as: South Sudan, North Kivu, Congo and the western area of Central African Republic (CAR). Surprisingly enough, all zones rich in mineral and oil," he continued.

According to Beltrami, Kony has been trying to end a guerrilla war which no longer benefits him, in exchange for a blanket pardon for war crimes.

"Peace negotiations, however, were sabotaged by the Ugandan government, as the end of LRA means the end of Washington- Kampala military activities in the region," Beltrani explained.

The last attempt at capturing Kony was made in October 2011, when Ugandan soldiers, joined by CAR and US forces, found Kony having a bath in a river.
Instead of capturing him, the Ugandan soldiers received the order to withdraw, allowing Kony to escape.

In November 2013, Kony said he was willing to surrender, during peace negotiations with the then CAR president Michael Djotodia.

"Uganda authorities, after diplomatic clichés, did not do anything to get in touch with Kony," Beltrami said. "Yoweri Museveni [Uganda's current president] has managed to build the most powerful army in the region, thanks to the 'Kony myth'".