Ali Kony
Ali Kony | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990s |
| Other names | Caesar Bashir |
| Parent(s) | Joseph Kony (father) Medina Akulu (mother) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Lord's Resistance Army |
| Years of service | ?-2021 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Battles / wars | Lord's Resistance Army insurgency |
Ali Ssalongo Kony (born 1990s) is a Ugandan militant and LRA's defector. He is the son of Joseph Kony.
Life
[edit]Ali Ssalongo Kony was born in Gulu in the early to mid-1990s to Joseph Kony and Medina Akulu. Akulu is Kony's third wife, who was abducted in 1989. At the age of six months, he moved from Gulu to join the LRA in the bush.[1][2]
As a member of the LRA, Ali was a brigadier, earning the nom de guerre "Caesar" and "Bashir". He had three bodyguards and was a merchant who trade ivory, gold, and marijuana from hunters, traders, and farmers, respectively and sold them to the big merchants in Songo.[1][3][4] The US Treasury report stipulated that Kony was tasked with negotiating the ivory price and overseeing its distribution to Joseph Kony for selling. Through the ivory trade, the groups received weapons, food, and ammunition.[5] Apart from that, he also served as the group's foreign affairs minister, where he was responsible for forging a non-aggression pact, intelligence exchange, and trade with other armed militias who roamed around the LRA's territory.[1] In October 2014, Ali was reportedly to increase his involvement in LRA's operational planning.[6] Due to his role in the LRA, the US treasury imposed sanctions on Kony and freeze his asset in the US on 23 August 2016 for human rights violations towards civilians in the Central African Republic.[5]
In July 2005, UPDF claimed that Ali, along with Lakati Owor, was killed by a gunshot wound during a clash in Beyogoya-Palabek.[7] However, this claim was unfounded as he was also named as a potential leader of the LRA once his father died in 2017.[8]
Defection
[edit]In June 2021, Ali decided to defect from the LRA due to his discord with his father, who often fought with his mother and his desire to start a new life with his children and wife.[2][1] As night approached, he and his family covertly left the base in Kafia Kingi for Songo because they did not want to raise an alert. As he arrived in Songo, he started his new life. He became a businessman who owned shops and traded gold and cannabis as a middleman. In addition to becoming an entrepreneur, he worked as a farmer and a taxi driver.[1]
In April 2023, a civil war broke out in Sudan. Responding to this turmoil, Ali and his family decided to move to Juba. Amidst the journey to Juba, one of his children got malaria. After weeks of journey, they arrived in Juba with no money. Arriving in Juba, Kony went to the Ugandan Embassy and presented himself as a businessman in Sudan. The Ugandan Embassy then gave Kony a travel permit, and they travelled to Gulu. Upon arriving in Gulu on 1 July, he lived in a rented house with his family.[1][2]
Ali and his family met Yoweri Museveni in the State House, Entebbe on 25 August 2023.[9] During the meeting, Museveni promised that he would provide Ali 30 acres of land, a farm, and a house. However, the president's promises had not been materialised and they still struggle to adapt to the new lifestyle by February 2025.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Kony is married to a Congolese woman named Cecillia Akullu and the couple has four children. He is fluent in Arabic.[1][9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Titeca, Kristof. "Ali Kony and the twilight of the Lord's Resistance Army". thenewhumanitarian.org. The New Humanitarian. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ a b c URN, URN. "Why LRA leader, son parted ways". independent.co.ug. The Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Cakaj 2015, p. 3.
- ^ Cakaj 2015, p. 6.
- ^ a b Department of Treasury, Department of Treasury. "Treasury Sanctions Lord's Resistance Army Commanders Salim and Ali Kony". home.treasury.gov. US Department of Treasury. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Monitor, Monitor. "Kony shifts LRA top command to his sons". monitor.co.ug. Monitor. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ The New Humanitarian, The New Humanitarian. "Army kills key rebel officers". thenewhumanitarian.org. The New Humanitarian. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ^ Burke, Jason; Mwesigwa, Alon. "Central Africa fears return of LRA after hunt for Joseph Kony ends". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ a b URN, URN. "Kony's Family Seeks Second Meeting with Musevani". plusnews.ug. Plus News. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ledio Cakaj (4 November 2015). Tusk Wars: Inside the LRA and the Bloody Business of Ivory (PDF) (Report).