When The Walking Defeats You: One Man's Journey as Joseph Kony's Bodyguard

by Ledio Cakaj

Deep in the Congo's Garamba National Park in the dead of night, Joseph Kony – the notorious warlord wanted by the International Criminal Court – made a shocking admission. Loosened by home-made wine, exposing a vulnerability he could never show the world, Kony looked George Omona in the eye, 'You need to know that if I had a choice I would not be doing this … I wish I could be a man of books, like you.'

Three years earlier George was expelled from one of Uganda's best schools, just weeks before he was due to graduate with exemplary grades, destroying his dreams of becoming a teacher. In desperation, his uncle found him a role in Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). George's education and fluent command of English allowed him to rapidly rise through the ranks, eventually becoming one of Kony's bodyguards, before he finally made his escape.

George's story – based on many hours of interviews with acknowledged LRA expert Ledio Cakaj – provides a vivid, personal and fascinating insight into the inner workings of the LRA, and the mind of Kony, its self-appointed prophet.

Genres: Africa, War, Uganda, Nonfiction

432 pages, Hardcover

Published November 15, 2016

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very powerful inside account of life inside the northern Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army, written by an expert who spent years studying the group. Combining the narration of one former LRA rebel fighter's experience with background information on the conflict makes it a very accessible read for those with limited knowledge of the LRA. But even for those well-versed in the LRA conflict, the book offers very useful insights into the inner workings of the group. The book also really brings to light the terrible dilemma of dealing with ex-LRA combatants: they have committed horrible atrocities against civilians but at the same time they are also victims of the conflict and, I would assume, most are deeply traumatised. War is always full of grey-zones and this book is a testament to how true this is in northern Uganda.

[May Ling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book delivered. I was trying to understand the conflicts that arose in Uganda. They obtained their independence in 1982, but continued to have fighting well into the last decade. I simply could not find anything. I chanced upon this book in the NYPL card Catalogue. Wow. This book delivered.

The Lord's Resistants Army (LRA) was a terrorist group located in S Sudan/N Uganda. I happened to meet a lovely soul from the Acholi tribe and wanted to learn more after hearing her story. Kony was not the first leader of this group but he came to be nearly a 30 year reigning despot actively recruiting children into his army of terror.

See, we use the word recruit, but brainwash, force, enslave, all these words are likely more appropriate. Cakaj states upfront that getting people to understand that this is not a "children's" issue is one of his goals. I got you Ledio... I got you.

You really don't think about the idea that forcing children to conduct acts of violence on family members or others they know turns them into something else. Having them beat those that might be considered nice or sensitive, also a part of recruitment. He draws similarities to Catholic school, where student groups often had a bullying aspect to it. It's really expertly put together to explain a very different view and psychology to the situation.

I really hope someone works with him to turn this into a screenplay. I'd love to see a film created on the work he's doing.

Great stuff!! Got me precisely the understanding that I needed.

[Banu Altunbas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading books about endless and senseless wars in Central Africa is always painful, depressing and at times heartbreaking, but Ledio's account of George's time with LRA is particularly painstaking. Ledio explains George's story as told by him, which makes the accounts very real and honest. At many times in the book I felt like I was re-reading and watching the "beasts of no nation", only that book was an imaginary account of some unknown country's unknown rebels. Whereas what Ledio narrates to us through George's three gruesome years in LRA puts it in a very stark perspective. It was written with passion, compassion and a lot of understanding the context. Kudos to Ledio for his first published book, and definitely recommended as a must-reading for LRA's recent history and internal accounts.

[Eldan Goldenberg]

I'm interested in this because of http://africasacountry.com/2017/03/ho...

[Emily Muller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive at times but gave me a deeper understanding of the LRA.

[Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's exactly what you think, read with care. Accurate, moving story.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful and well-detailed account.

[Albi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible account. Likely to become a classic like Ishmeal Beah's A long way gone.

More than just an Africa book, this is a story of survival in one of the world's most unforgiving conflicts, that between Kony's Lords Resistance Army and the Ugandan army with the help of US Special Forces.

Read this and be grateful for what you have, hug your children and loved ones and give thanks to whichever God you believe in. And shed a tear for those who are born in the midst of war and chaos.