Leaked Cable Suggests 'Kony 2012' Group Aided Ugandan Military Chronicle of Philanthropy
go to original April 11, 2012

A U.S. diplomatic cables released last year by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks suggests that Invisible Children, the nonprofit group behind the viral "Kony 2012" video, helped the Ugandan military arrest an opposition figure, according to Foreign Policy.

The June 2009 cable from Steven Browning, then-U.S. ambassador to Uganda, asserts that the San Diego-based charity, which is active in the African country, tipped off the government "regarding the location of Patrick Komekech," who was suspected of forming a rebel group in northern Uganda.

Mr. Komakech was reportedly a former child soldier in the Lord’s Resistance Army, the rebel militia led by warlord Joseph Kony. Invisible Children’s video calling for the capture of Kony, who is wanted for war crimes, has been viewed more than 100 million times. The charity released a sequel to that film last week.

A Ugandan military spokesman said the charity had no role in the arrest of Mr. Komakech, who is facing treason charges. Invisible Children said that while it had discussed Mr. Komakech with U.S. diplomats, "we do not conduct intelligence efforts of any kind for a foreign government."

Related: Sequel to 'Kony 2012' Video Addresses Critics and Outlines Call for Action

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