Kony’s confirmation of charges hearing scheduled for this September

8 August 2025, 5:54 pm

By Joyce Adokorach

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed that fugitive Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony will face a confirmation of charges hearing from 9 to 11 September 2025 in The Hague — in absentia, as he remains at large.

Kony, founder of the Lord’s Resistance Army, faces 33 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, and the use of child soldiers, for attacks carried out in northern Uganda between 2002 and 2005.

Speaking to journalists in Gulu city, his defence team — Peter Haynes (lead counsel), Kate Gibson (co-counsel), Geoffrey Boris Anyuru, and Christopher Gosnell — said they have taken a proactive role in the proceedings to preserve his rights and challenge the legal basis of advancing the case without him.

Kate Gibson, co-counsel, said that although Joseph Kony is not in custody, the confirmation of charges hearing is a “historic step towards accountability and the first ever of its kind in the history of the ICC in The Hague.”

Maria Mabinty Kamara, the ICC Outreach Coordinator, stated that the confirmation hearing is a step forward in acknowledging the suffering of communities affected by the LRA conflict.

Kamara explained that the ICC has a responsibility to ensure justice reaches the affected communities in northern Uganda. She highlighted that the Kony hearing is the first-ever in absentia confirmation hearing at the ICC and represents an important legal milestone.