The wife of Joseph Rao Kony, founder of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA),Ruth Achan, has surrendered to Ugandan authorities, Daily Star can exclusively report.
According to sources, Kony’s wife is expected to arrive later today at Entebbe Airport. Accompanied by her children Maisa Amu, Betty Akidi, and Pope Kony, Achan will be received by Kenneth Omona, the Minister of State for Northern Uganda.
Kony’s wife will be received at VIP terminal at 12:30 am.
She surrendered at a time when the International Criminal Court (ICC) had set a date for the confirmation of charges against her husband, with the hearing scheduled to begin on September 9, 2025, in his absence.
According to the Prosecution’s submission of the Document Containing the Charges, Joseph Kony is suspected of 36 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, allegedly committed between July 1, 2002, and December 31, 2005, in northern Uganda. While the case originally involved Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo, and Vincent Otti, proceedings against them were terminated following their deaths.
The warrants for arrest in this case were issued under seal on July 8, 2005, and later unsealed on October 13, 2005. The suspect, Joseph Kony, remains at large.
On November 23, 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II issued a preliminary decision on the Prosecutor’s request to hold a confirmation of charges hearing in Kony’s absence. The Prosecutor filed the Document Containing the Charges on January 19, 2024.
On March 4, 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber II ruled in favor of the Prosecutor’s request to proceed with the confirmation of charges hearing in Kony’s absence, should he fail to appear. The hearing was scheduled to commence on October 15, 2024.
However, on September 12, 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber II postponed the hearing—originally set for October 15, 2024—following observations from the Defence, Prosecution, and the Office of the Public Counsel for Victims. On October 29, 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber III issued a decision concluding that all requirements to hold the confirmation of charges hearing in Kony’s absence had been met.
Last year, the International Crimes Division, sitting in Gulu, sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison.
The court found Kwoyelo guilty of 44 counts of crimes against humanity. He had faced 78 of the 93 charges, including murder, aggravated robbery, widespread destruction of property, causing serious bodily harm, inhumane treatment, rape, and torture, among other offenses committed against civilian populations in northern Uganda, southern Sudan, and northeastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
