Uganda is conducting an investigation into allegations that a former high-ranking ICC official was implicated in providing financial support to the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, as confirmed by the country’s attorney general on Monday.
Brigid Inder, who served as a special adviser on gender to the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, refuted the allegations in a statement posted on X, stating, “The accusations are sensational and untrue.”
A press release issued by a legal representative for former child soldiers of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) stated, “Multiple victims have claimed that between 2006 and 2017, Ms. Brigid Inder… enabled and funded Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA in Uganda.”
Joseph Kony, who remains evasive, initiated a violent insurgency over three decades ago with the aim of enforcing his interpretation of the Ten Commandments in northern Uganda. This led to a reign of terror that extended across multiple nations.
“We have received… information about the alleged involvement of the named ICC official in funding the LRA activities including money to buy weapons and our relevant bodies are investigating the claims,” Uganda’s attorney general Kiryowa Kiwanuka told media.
“These are serious criminal allegations and if they are found to be correct, the official will be prosecuted to ensure justice for the victims,” Kiwanuka said, without elaborating.
In a statement released on September 21, Brigid Inder, who formerly served as the executive director of the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ) and played a role in peace negotiations between the LRA and the Ugandan government, emphatically denied the allegations, stating that she “categorically refutes” them.
“I have never met Mr Joseph Kony. I have never handed Mr Kony envelopes full of money.”
“I have never… engaged in any activities that were intended to support the military aspirations and conflict-related activities of the LRA,” she said, adding that the allegations stemmed from a disgruntled employee who was dismissed from WIGJ for misconduct in 2014.
Kony’s insurgency resulted in the loss of over 100,000 lives and the abduction of 60,000 children. The conflict extended its reach to Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Kony in 2005, charging him with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
