Joseph Kony Bodyguard Killed: 'We Are Decimating the LRA,' Says Ugandan Military
Joseph Kony's chief bodyguard was killed, the Ugandan army revealed. Brig. Binani was part of the rebel high command of the Lord's Resistance Army and the personal bodyguard of Kony, and he was shot and killed Friday, according to reports.
Brigadier Binani met his demise at the hands of the UPDF about 170 miles north of Djema in the Central African Republic. The significance of taking out Kony's right-hand man has not been lost on Ugandan military officials.
"He was a member of the LRA high command," Col. Felix Kulayigye told Newvision reporters Sunday. "He was Kony's chief bodyguard and he was also the LRA's main logistician."
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For the Ugandan military, who has been battling the African warlord for some 25 years, Bonani's death means their tactics have been working. The LRA has slowly been whittled down from thousands of men to only 250.
"For the chief escort to die in combat means you are close to the bone marrow. It is an encouragement; we are decimating the command structure of the LRA. We are making arrangements to bring his body to Gulu," Kulayigye continued.
The shrinking of the cruel organization also means less children abused as child soldiers and sex slaves at their hands. Over 200 children and women have been rescued from the LRA's grasp in the past six months.
"In addition to these ones who were killed and captured, a number of children and former abductees had been escaping," said Kulayigye.
The hunt for Kony was only increased in 2011 when President Barack Obama sent 100 U.S. special forces troops to help find the warmonger. Finding Kony in the dense jungle has been difficult, however, as he often travels in small groups.
"We had not known [Binani] was there, but we knew that it was Kony's group," Kulayigye admitted. He added that the LRA leader had few options, to avoid capture- eventually, he will be caught, as the military suspects he is hiding in Kafia Kingi, which is located at the border between Sudan and South Sudan.
"So sooner or later the man either will commit suicide or will be captured or killed in action," the UPDF spokesman said.
Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his numerous human rights abuses and crimes against humanity.
