Northern Uganda prepares for historic ICC hearing on Kony charges

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As the International Criminal Court (ICC) moves closer to confirming charges against LRA commander Joseph Kony, local communities in northern Uganda are preparing for what many see as a long-awaited step towards justice.

Kony faces 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, allegedly committed between July 1, 2002 and December 31, 2005, mainly in northern Uganda.

The ICC has scheduled the confirmation of charges hearing to take place September 9-11, 2025, in The Hague. Although Kony remains at large, his legal team, led by Peter Haynes, will represent him in the proceedings. 

Haynes and his team arrived in Uganda today, Thursday, to consult victims of the LRA insurgency in preparation for the hearing.

Addressing stakeholders at Gracious Palace Hotel in Lira on August 6, 2025, ICC outreach assistant Jimmy Otim clarified that the session in September is not a trial but a preliminary hearing to assess whether the charges brought by the prosecutor should proceed to trial.

Otim reiterated that the trial itself cannot proceed unless Kony is physically present. For now, the hearing will be held in absentia, with the decision based solely on the evidence presented by the prosecutor.

To involve affected communities, the ICC will facilitate public screenings of the hearing in Lira, Gulu, and Soroti. The aim is to ensure that those most impacted by the LRA insurgency have an opportunity to follow developments.

Participants at the dialogue, including civil society representatives, highlighted the emotional and symbolic significance of the hearings.

Margaret Akullo Elem emphasised the need to complement legal justice with traditional reconciliation methods.

“If the International Crimes Division is handling the top-most perpetrator, we should deal with traditional ways of peace building called matoput (truth telling and reconciliation) to heal victims who were indirectly affected,” she said.

Meanwhile, Matthew Omara called for measures to ensure inclusivity during the screenings, including sign language interpretation.

Agnes Acen, head of a local peace and development forum, expressed hope that all 39 charges will be confirmed.

“Let this be the beginning of accountability for the suffering of thousands,” she said.

In 2005, the Netherlands-based court issued arrest warrants for Kony, his deputy Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, Raska Lukwiya and Dominic Ongwen for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in northern Uganda.

Three of the commanders, Otti, Odhiambo and Lukwiya, had since been confirmed dead according to the ICC.

In 2021, the court sentenced Ongwen to 25 years' imprisonment after he was found guilty of 61 crimes, and he is currently serving his sentence in Norway.