Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel, and his two eldest sons are among dozens of Ugandans who were hit by the US sanctions which were passed on the 7th of December, 2021.
The US, through its Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) accused Kony, his sons Salim Saleh Kony and Ali Kony of committing acts of violence, abductions, and forced displacements of civilians in the Central African Republic (CAR).
Kony and his brutal rebel force are also being accused of involvement in the global illicit ivory trade. According to the US, the proceeds from the illicit ivory trade are being used to finance the conflict.
The US also accuses Kony and his two young sons of recruiting children into the LRA ranks and targeting peacekeepers in the region.
In November, the US embassy in South Sudan in a statement said the US$5 million rewards for information leading to the arrest, transfer, and conviction of Kony is still available.
In May 2014, the UPDF announced that Kony has appointed his eldest son, Salim Saleh Kony as his second-in-command. Other Ugandans hit by US sanctions are Kale Kahiyura, the former Inspector General of Police (IGP), former ADF leader Jamil Mukulu and Justice Wilson Musalu Musene of the High Court of Uganda.
“We are targeting Uganda’s former Police Inspector General Kale Kayihura for using corruption and bribery to strengthen his political position, as units under his command committed serious human rights abuses,” said Sigal Mandelker, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “The U.S. government is committed to leveraging our human rights and corruption authorities to target, disrupt, and counter those who engage in abuse and corruption around the world.”
As a result of this action, all property and interests in property of Kayihura, and of any entities that were owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by him alone or with other designated persons, that were in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, were blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.
The United States imposed sanctions on Jamil Mukulu, the former leader of an Islamist rebel group, ADF in Democratic Republic of Congo during the late 20th century for perpetrating serious human rights abuses including mass rape, torture and killings in eastern Congo, the U.S. Treasury said.
Uganda’s chief of military intelligence, Major General Abel Kandiho, was also hit with sanctions over alleged human rights abuses committed under his watch. The Ugandan military said earlier on Tuesday that it was disappointed by the decision, which it said had been made without due process.
“In an action marking the week of the U.S. Summit for Democracy, the Treasury Department said in a statement it was targeting repression and the undermining of democracy, designating individuals and entities tied to the violent suppression of peaceful protesters in Iran and deadly chemical weapons attacks against civilians in Syria, among others.”
Justice Wilson Musalu Musene was not the only jurist who was hit by the US sanctions. He, along with three others, went down for setting up an elaborate adoption scam. Those sanctioned according to the press release issued by the department are justices Wilson Musalu Musene and Moses Mukiibi, lawyer Dorah Mirembe and her husband, Patrick Ecobu.
The four participated in a scheme whereby, in certain instances, young children were removed from Ugandan families under promises for “special education” programs and study in the United States, and were subsequently offered to U.S. families for adoption.
Below is the statement released by OFAC.
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned four Ugandans pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, for their involvement in an adoption scam that saw many Uganda-born children victimized by the participants in the scheme.“
“Deceiving innocent Ugandan families into giving up their children for adoption has caused great suffering,” said deputy secretary of the Treasury Justin G. Muzinich.
“The individuals involved in this corrupt scam deliberately exploited the good faith of Ugandans and Americans to enrich themselves. The United States remains committed to seeking out and exposing individuals violating human rights across the world.”
“Treasury will continue to defend against authoritarianism, promoting accountability for violent repression of people seeking to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in the statement.
The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.
