Book Review

I have read 2 books recently about the LRA, the Wizard of the Nile by Matthew Green was the first. Matthew Green is a British journalist who used to work for Reuters in East Africa. The book focuses on his search for an interview with the elusive Joseph Kony. He does eventually manage to find Kony, across the border in the Congolese bush, along with other journalists and a group of individuals trying to to restart negotiations for peace with the LRA. The book contains some interesting information on the background of the LRA conflict and several testimonies to the conflict, but a lot of time is wasted by Green who describles in detail his many visits between Sudan, Northern Uganda and Congo trying to locate Joesph Kony.

The second book is trial justice by Tim Allen. This is an older book, published in 2006 but is a fascinating account of the investigation into the LRA by the International Criminal Court in the Hague, and their subsequent issuing of arrest warrants for Kony and the other LRA leaders. These are many of the reasons why Kony went into hiding in Garamba National Park in NE Congo, and following this, his retaliation against the Congolese people and their continued quest for survival. There is also a fascinating look at the story of the LRA and Joesph Kony, their political roots in Northern Uganda and their truly bizarre spiritual roots. A great read.