What will I learn about: Explore the deep colonial origins of the Lord’s Resistance Army, and how historical tensions between Uganda's ethnic groups paved the way for Joseph Kony’s brutal rise to power?

Explore the deep colonial origins of the Lord’s Resistance Army, and how historical tensions between Uganda's ethnic groups paved the way for Joseph Kony’s brutal rise to power.

What will I learn about: why a veteran human-rights activist and her NGO ultimately concluded that unprecedented, direct military action was the only viable way to stop an elusive warlord?

Discover why a veteran human-rights activist and her NGO ultimately concluded that unprecedented, direct military action was the only viable way to stop an elusive warlord.

What will I learn about: Learn how botched international interventions, such as 2008's Operation Lightning Thunder, inadvertently caused the LRA to splinter into highly mobile, untrackable units that worsened the regional crisis?

Learn how botched international interventions, such as 2008's Operation Lightning Thunder, inadvertently caused the LRA to splinter into highly mobile, untrackable units that worsened the regional crisis.

What will I learn about: the severe limitations of international justice by examining why bodies like the International Criminal Court can indict war criminals but lack the physical power to arrest them?

Understand the severe limitations of international justice by examining why bodies like the International Criminal Court can indict war criminals but lack the physical power to arrest them.

What will I learn about: how massive geographical expanses and poor communication networks shielded the LRA, allowing devastating attacks to remain completely hidden from the outside world for months?

Find out how massive geographical expanses and poor communication networks shielded the LRA, allowing devastating attacks to remain completely hidden from the outside world for months.

To Stop a Warlord

My Story of Justice, Grace, and the Fight for Peace

Shannon Sedgwick Davis

★ 4.2 / 5(13 ratings)

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Biography & Memoir Society & Culture

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You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that an unlikely alliance between a philanthropist, the Ugandan military, and a South African mercenary once teamed up to hunt one of the world’s most notorious war criminals?
💡Have you ever wondered what it takes to end a decades-long conflict when traditional diplomacy and international law fall short?
💡Are you curious about how a private coalition managed to tip the balance in favor of peace across four different countries?

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Key Takeaways from To Stop a Warlord

✓Explore the deep colonial origins of the Lord’s Resistance Army, and how historical tensions between Uganda's ethnic groups paved the way for Joseph Kony’s brutal rise to power.
✓Discover why a veteran human-rights activist and her NGO ultimately concluded that unprecedented, direct military action was the only viable way to stop an elusive warlord.
✓Learn how botched international interventions, such as 2008's Operation Lightning Thunder, inadvertently caused the LRA to splinter into highly mobile, untrackable units that worsened the regional crisis.
✓Understand the severe limitations of international justice by examining why bodies like the International Criminal Court can indict war criminals but lack the physical power to arrest them.
✓Find out how massive geographical expanses and poor communication networks shielded the LRA, allowing devastating attacks to remain completely hidden from the outside world for months.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from To Stop a Warlord

Mind Map

To Stop a Warlord

Origins of the LRA+

Catalyst for Direct Action+

Phase 1: Early Warning Networks+

Phase 2: Funding a Military Solution+

Phase 3: Defection Campaign+

The Final Strike & Aftermath+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

What historical tension laid the groundwork for the emergence of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda?

A. The marginalization of the northern Acholi minority by the southern Baganda elite, established during British colonial rule.
B. The religious conflict between the Christian majority and the Muslim minority in the capital city of Kampala.
C. The economic disparity between the wealthy mining communities in the west and the agricultural east.
D. The border disputes between Uganda and neighboring Sudan over access to the Nile River.

Question 2 of 8

What specific event prompted human-rights activist Shannon Sedgwick Davis to take direct action against the LRA?

A. The indictment of Joseph Kony by the International Criminal Court in 2005.
B. The 2009 'Christmas Massacres' carried out by the LRA in the Congo and Sudan.
C. The assassination of eight Guatemalan peacekeepers by the LRA in 2006.
D. The collapse of the Ugandan government led by Yoweri Museveni in 1986.

Question 3 of 8

According to prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, what was the main limitation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in bringing Joseph Kony to justice?

A. The ICC did not have jurisdiction over crimes committed in East-Central Africa.
B. The ICC could not legally indict a non-state actor without a formal declaration of war.
C. The ICC had the power to try Kony, but it did not possess its own arresting powers or police force.
D. The ICC required unanimous approval from the United Nations Security Council to proceed with a trial.

Question 4 of 8

What was the primary purpose of the 'Early Warning Networks' funded by the Bridgeway Foundation and Invisible Children?

A. To broadcast propaganda messages to LRA fighters encouraging them to surrender.
B. To provide local villages with high-frequency (HF) radios to share information about LRA movements and evade attacks.
C. To intercept the satellite phone communications of Joseph Kony and his top generals.
D. To allow United Nations peacekeepers to coordinate airstrikes against LRA camps.

Question 5 of 8

How did Shannon Sedgwick Davis and her NGO, the Bridgeway Foundation, uniquely escalate their efforts to stop the LRA beyond traditional philanthropy?

A. They hired a private army of American mercenaries to hunt down Joseph Kony in the Congo.
B. They funded the purchase of military equipment and specialized training for a newly created unit of the Ugandan army.
C. They lobbied the United States government to deploy thousands of ground troops to East-Central Africa.
D. They paid millions of dollars in ransom money directly to LRA generals to release abducted children.

Question 6 of 8

Why was Eeben Barlow, a South African mercenary with ties to the former apartheid government, chosen to train the Ugandan Special Operations Group (SOG)?

A. He was the only contractor willing to work for free as a gesture of goodwill to the United Nations.
B. He had previously served as a commander in the Ugandan army and personally knew Joseph Kony's tactics.
C. He possessed extensive experience fighting in similar African terrain and firmly believed that Africans should solve the continent's problems.
D. He was highly recommended by the International Criminal Court for his strict adherence to international human rights law.

Question 7 of 8

What innovative tactic did the Special Operations Group (SOG) use to successfully encourage LRA fighters to defect?

A. They dropped millions of culturally appropriate leaflets over the jungle showing LRA soldiers raising their hands in surrender.
B. They broadcasted recorded messages from ex-LRA soldiers promising amnesty over helicopter-mounted speakers.
C. They offered large financial rewards and land grants to any LRA officer who turned over their weapons.
D. They used targeted ads on stolen smartphones distributed among LRA camps.

Question 8 of 8

Although the mission ultimately failed to capture Joseph Kony, why did Davis and Poole consider their campaign a success by the time they closed operations in 2015?

A. The Ugandan government formally pardoned Kony, officially ending the civil war.
B. The United Nations finally agreed to station 16,000 peacekeepers specifically dedicated to hunting the LRA.
C. Kony voluntarily surrendered to the International Criminal Court due to extreme isolation.
D. The defection campaign severely weakened the LRA, reducing civilian casualties from hundreds per year to almost zero.

To Stop a Warlord — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army became the most infamous faction in a long conflict in East-Central Africa.
3Davis chose to confront Kony after the 2009 “Christmas Massacres” events in the Congo.
4Weak communications and Kony’s highly mobile troops greatly benefited the LRA.
5The Bridgeway Foundation helped deploy a local system of “Early Warning Networks.”
6Bridgeway’s effort turned into a military mission approved by a top Ugandan army general.
7Davis and Poole chose a South African mercenary to head up their military training program.
8The Special Operations Group introduced a novel strategy to persuade LRA fighters to surrender.
9One defector provided the SOG a lead that nearly led to Kony’s capture.
10Kony remains at large, yet the LRA is severely weakened, and civilian casualties have now dropped to an all-time low.

To Stop a Warlord Summary & Overview

To Stop a Warlord (2019) is an inspiring account of a remarkable mission: the quest to bring to justice one of the world’s most notorious war criminals – Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Packed with insights into Africa’s longest-running conflict, this account tells how Shannon Sedgwick Davis helped assemble an unlikely alliance between philanthropists, the Ugandan military and a South African mercenary to take on Kony’s army across four countries. While that coalition might not have achieved its primary objective of bringing Kony to justice, it did help tip the balance in favor of peace.

Who Should Listen to To Stop a Warlord?

Campaigners, activists and human-rights advocates
Politics buffs fascinated by Central Africa’s past and present
Anyone interested in conflict resolution

About the Author: Shannon Sedgwick Davis

Shannon Sedgwick Davis is the CEO of the Bridgeway Foundation, an NGO dedicated to ending mass atrocities in conflict zones around the world. An award-winning human-rights advocate, Davis previously served as the vice president of Geneva Global, an international philanthropy consulting company. She is also a member of the advisory council of The Elders, a group founded by Nelson Mandela to bring together statesmen and -women committed to human rights.

To Stop a Warlord

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to To Stop a Warlord — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from To Stop a Warlord

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

To Stop a Warlord — Full Chapter Overview

To Stop a Warlord Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to To Stop a Warlord?

About the Author: Shannon Sedgwick Davis

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