To Stop a Warlord
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Opio Sam, having been rejected by the Ugandan army when he first came home to Uganda, earned his mechanic’s certificate in December 2015. Shortly after his graduation, the UPDF made an exception on age limits for new recruits for soldiers leaving the LRA, and he completed basic training. He is now deployed with the UPDF, and fulfilling his dream of helping his family members attend school.
Lapeko, the only child among the forty-six captives who were part of the multi-day release in early fall 2014 to come out without his biological mother, spent two years at St. Jude Children’s Home in Uganda while David Ocitti tried to find members of his extended family. It was especially challenging to find them because Lapeko’s father was a low-ranking Ugandan LRA fighter who had been abducted from a large camp and about whom few details were known, and because Lapeko couldn’t talk or communicate (his caregivers eventually discovered that he is deaf). David began screening people who were abducted around the same time as his father and finally discovered someone who could help locate his family. St. Jude arranged for Lapeko’s reunification with his grandmother and extended family. He is now six years old, and will begin school soon. To date, Lapeko’s father has not returned from the LRA.
Dominic Ongwen is still in the custody of the International Criminal Court, awaiting the completion of his trial, which began in December 2016. The prosecutor has charged him with seventy criminal counts, including attacks against the civilian population, inhumane acts, enslavement, outrages upon personal dignity, forced marriage, rape, torture, sexual slavery, and the conscription and use of children to participate actively in hostilities.
COURTESY SHANNON SEDGWICK DAVIS
Shannon Sedgwick Davis and her husband, Sam, are pictured with their sons, Connor and Brody, near their home in San Antonio, Texas.
ADAM FINCK
David Ocitti escaped from warlord Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army as a child, then went on to travel throughout Central Africa to help other survivors. Here he drives his field vehicle, “The Tank,” in Gulu, Uganda.
GETTY IMAGES/ADAM PLETTS/CONTRIBUTOR
Joseph Kony, notorious warlord, and founder of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
LAREN POOLE
As part of her work with the Bridgeway Foundation, Shannon meets with an LRA survivor at a displacement camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Here and throughout some faces are blurred to protect LRA escapees’ identities.)
COURTESY LAREN POOLE
Shannon and representatives from Invisible Children, an organization seeking to end violence in Central Africa, meet with United Nations personnel stationed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
LAREN POOLE
A victim of LRA violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ADAM FINCK
A high-frequency radio is installed as part of the Early Warning Network in Bas Uele, Democratic Republic of Congo, to help villages alert one another about nearby LRA attacks.
LAREN POOLE
The first SOG team graduates.
PATRICIA WILLIAMS
Father Benoît Kinalegu, a community leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo and founder of the Early Warning Network that Bridgeway Foundation helped support; and Ida Sawyer, Human Rights Watch’s lead researcher in Central Africa.
LAREN POOLE
Shannon; General Katumba Wamala (center), commander of the Uganda People’s Defense Force’s (UPDF) Land Forces; and Eeben Barlow (seated on right), founder of Specialised Tasks, Training, Equipment, and Protection, at the Special Operations Group (SOG) graduation ceremony.
HOWARD G. BUFFETT
Laren Poole and Shannon with the SOG in Djemah, Central African Republic.
COURTESY THE HOWARD G. BUFFETT FOUNDATION
Philanthropist Howard G. Buffett and Shannon visit the SOG in the Central African Republic.
LAREN POOLE
A SOG soldier tracks the LRA in Djemah, Central African Republic.
HOWARD G. BUFFETT
The SOG deploys in the Central African Republic, on the trail of the LRA.
HOWARD G. BUFFETT
A tracking dog team at work with the UPDF in the Central African Republic.
LAREN POOLE
A soldier stands beside ivory poached by the LRA and recovered by the SOG in the Central African Republic. The LRA had been funding their operations through the illegal ivory trade.
LAREN POOLE
A UPDF soldier mourns the loss of his friend and fellow soldier, and flies with his remains that will be returned to Uganda for burial.
LAREN POOLE
A recently escaped LRA captive and her newborn child, Otukene, which translates to “impossible grace,” in a UPDF field hospital in South Sudan. Tragically, the mother never recovered from her infection and medical complications after giving birth in the bush.
REUTERS/JAMES AKENA
LRA Major General Caesar Acellam at the failed Juba peace talks in 2006.
LAREN POOLE
Acellam in Djemah, Central African Republic, after capture by the SOG, who gather with civilians to get a firsthand glimpse of the high-level rebel fighter. Acellam will eventually gain amnesty, but here his fate is uncertain.
ADAM FINCK
Shannon shares photos of her sons with Acellam’s recently liberated forced wife and child.
GETTY IMAGES/SAM FARMAR/CONTRIBUTOR
LRA Major General and Deputy Army Commander Okot Odhiambo, the LRA’s second in command.
GETTY IMAGES/BRENT STIRTON/STAFF
Odhiambo’s remains are transported to Uganda for identification. Odhiambo was one of the first ever to be indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
COURTESY OF UPDF
International Criminal Court indictee Dominic Ongwen during his many years as an LRA commander.
REUTERS/PETER DEJONG/POOL
Dominic Ongwen on trial at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
LAREN POOLE
Adam Finck on a flyer and aerial loudspeaker mission to encourage defections, in the Central African Republic.
LAREN POOLE
Colonel Kabango, Laren, and Shannon in Djemah, Central African Republic, before Operation Merlin, where they hoped to finally capture Joseph Kony.
HOWARD G. BUFFETT
Shannon in Obo, Central African Republic, before Operation Merlin.
DAVID OCITTI
Here, Opio Sam embraces his mother for the first time after twenty-four years in the LRA, in the midst of a cleansing and reunification ceremony in his community.
COURTESY COL. KABANGO
Colonel Kabango with LRA Lieutenant Colonel Opio Sam, after he defected.
LAREN POOLE
This heroic fourteen-year-old LRA escapee had fled alone with her baby from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Central African Republic to reach safety.
COURTESY LAREN POOLE
LRA Lieutenant Colonel Okello Okuti (sitting, third from right) and part of the “Zemio 19” in Obo, Central African Republic, with Laren.
ADAM FINCK
Lapeko, part
of a group of forty-six LRA returnees, in Obo, Central African Republic.
LAREN POOLE
The SOG rescues women and children from the LRA in the Central African Republic.
COURTESY DAVID OCITTI
David Ocitti doing family tracing and reunification in Lamwo district, northern Uganda.
SHANNON SEDGWICK DAVIS
David Ocitti and Shannon’s sons at Adam’s wedding in Big Sur, California, in 2017.
For Laren—this mission was one of the greatest privileges of my life—thank you
For my boys—you are my whole heart
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was an extraordinarily challenging project. There are so many people without whom it would never have happened. While I am only able to thank a few here, I am grateful for each and every person who made this book possible—and who made the mission it describes a reality.
First, to our inspiring Ugandan and Central African partners, and individuals and communities affected by the LRA, who allowed us to join you on this journey: I learned more about humanity and myself in these years than I ever could have imagined. Your strength and protection of innocents have compelled me to be a better mom and a better person each and every day. Thank you for teaching me what true forgiveness and reconciliation look like.
David Ocitti, of all the choices you could have made after your terrifying experiences, you chose the hardest path: radical forgiveness and dedication of your life to serving those who are looked upon as perpetrators. You doubled down and gave all of yourself back to the cause to help your brothers and sisters. You are a giant of humanity and I literally pinch myself every day that I get to call you friend.
For Abbé Benoît, you fought for the country you knew and so many are standing on your shoulders today and are safer because of your courage and your dedication.
General Wamala, thank you for being an honest and open partner in this endeavor. Thank you for your heart.
Colonel Kabango, thanks for always bringing the men home safe. Thanks for being an incredible collaborator on the mission.
To the SOG, thanks for pushing to the end. Godspeed. May the wind always be at your back and the sun on your face.
Laren Poole, finding the words to thank you is the hardest part of this book to write. Words are wholly inadequate to express the depth of my gratitude and awe. Long ago, as a sophomore in college, you took a risk and went to a faraway place where you saw terrible things. Instead of coming home to your comfortable college student life, you allowed what you’d seen to transform you—and even quit college just a few credit hours shy of graduating so you could fully commit yourself to stopping the atrocities you’d seen. You introduced me and countless others to the LRA, rejecting the injustice that a mass murderer went free solely because he perpetrated atrocities on people who “didn’t matter.” It was your righteous anger that propelled us on this journey, and your commitment to never give up until innocents were free from terror that made this mission a reality. That ferocious spirit is the only thing that carried us at times. You’ve worked tirelessly from that point through today, walking together with me through a decade—through the highs and the lows, and the lows, and the lows.Your sacrifices are numerous: malaria a dozen times over the course of this mission—including cerebral malaria, which could have taken your life, but you were back out there weeks later; and more that brought us to the brink, but through which you were unswervingly relentless. There is simply no one else with whom I could have done this. All of it is because of you. Thank you.
Courtney Poole, you surprise me at every turn with your flexibility. Thank you for moving to Uganda, for the sacrifice of being away from your husband so many weeks and months on end, and for displacing yourself and supporting your husband through this mission.
Mama Poole, thank you for offering to buy that camera for Laren back when he was in college, and for always encouraging his passions. Thank you for raising a son without whom this mission would not have been possible.
Adam Finck, thank you for making the sacrifices and taking the personal risk when few others would. You made us better, more powerful, and taught us so much. This was never a job for you but rather an act of love and friendship.
Jen Tallon, thank you for making it all work. We never could have done this without your fierce heart, organizational skills, and dedication to the mission.
John and Ann Montgomery, thank you for founding a company to stop horrific tragedies on the globe and thank you for entrusting me with that mission.
To my partners at Bridgeway Capital Management, thank you for doing the everyday work that made this mission and so many others possible. Thank you to the partners who showed up at the right time to give support in just the right way. Tammira Philippe and Tony Ledergerber, thank you for your help, especially as we brought this book across the finish line.
Ida Sawyer and Ken Roth, your work is never-ending and often thankless. Thank you for shining a spotlight on this tragedy and doing the deep work of fighting for change.
Greg Joachim, thank you for your tireless efforts on behalf of this cause. Your help took many forms, and your guidance was a superpower for us.
Muneer Satter, our first partner in this mission, thank you for your persistence and counsel. Whenever we got stuck you were there and it made all the difference.
Howard G. Buffett, you brought laughter and joy to this work. It was the only thing that sustained me many times.
Ann Kelly Bolten, I met you and within hours you purchased boots and jumped on a plane to go with us. You never left us. Your presence has been a constant in this journey and made us better at each turn.
Mark Rigel and all the dog handlers, thanks for the incredible job in the field.
To our friends and alumni at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund—Myles, John, Mike, Sadia, and Caroline—thank you for your continued partnership and support, and for being a strategic thought partner.
To Scott Terry, thank you for taking a risk on us and donating such a significant portion of the cost of your air platforms to us and for sending the greatest pilots on the planet to work with us on this mission: B.J., John, Guil, and the other fearless bush pilots who joined us along the way.
Eeben Barlow and the trainers, your sweat and sacrifice translated to lives saved, thank you.
Dan Pickard, thank you for your wise counsel during this unorthodox mission.
Sam, when I left home each time I never doubted that I was leaving our boys with the only person in the world whose love for them matched mine. That is the greatest gift I could have received. Thank you for loving us so well.
To my boys, Connor and Brody, you are and will remain my constant inspiration. You are my heart.
Mom and Dad, what a tremendous privilege it was to be parented by you. Thank you for showing me with your actions every day that a life spent investing in others is truly a life fully lived.
To my dearest Opa, who died in the final days of finishing this book, thank you for loving me unconditionally. I was never alone.
To our local human rights partners operating in hostile environments, risking your lives in order to defend the rights of others—your bravery inspires me beyond measure, and your work is making the world a more secure place.
To the International Criminal Court staff, thank you for the great collaboration and for working so diligently on these cases.
Jason Russell, thank you for selflessly sharing your extraordinary gift for storytelling and using it to highlight the plight of those affected by the LRA. Ben Keesey, thank you for building a compassionate and proactive organization to serve those suffering the most.
Jolly and Emmy, thank you for all the hard work and connections you made to help with the mission, and all you continue to do.
Paul Ronan, thank you f
or giving over a decade of your life to this cause, for seeking truth even when it involved weeks of travel in uncomfortable circumstances. Thank you for helping us with the details of this book. And Michael Poffenberger, thank you for founding one of the most effective and dedicated grassroots advocacy organizations I have ever witnessed.
Admiral Losey, thanks for the unprecedented collaboration on this mission. One day I will give the coin to my boys.
To those who are still active members of different parts of the US government and need to remain unnamed, thank you for taking a risk on us. For not letting the red tape or the conventional way of doing things get in the way.
Archbishop Tutu—Arch—thank you for loving me. Thank you for all the ways your life has been an extraordinary example to humanity.
Gary Haugen, it all started with you. Thank you for the inspiration, trust, and incredible example you set for me.