#lra

[weemietime]

I just recently had cause to check my old Quora account (feel free to add me anyone, it's the source link) and I would like to put this on my blog as well because it is an important piece of information.

We all remember the memed out "stop Kony" shit, well I never stopped stopping Kony. I've been blasting this motherfucker for a decade. The question was asked:

Have child soldiers been condemned for war crimes?

The only person who has ever been convicted of war crimes that were committed while they were still a child, is Dominic Ongwen, formerly of the LRA. His verdict was returned in February 2021.

Ongwen’s case was particular - records indicate he was abducted between 9–14 years of age (his report differs from the reports of others, a common issue when dealing with early formative trauma) - but he eventually became a trusted, high-ranking member of the LRA and indeed participated in capturing children and perpetrating the same violence onto them as was done to him. He continued this for many years.

Ultimately the courts demonstrated with sufficient evidence that he acted of his own volition (as much volition as he was capable of having) as an adult. While he undoubtedly experienced fear and suffering in childhood, he was successfully indoctrinated and carried out many acts of abuse on his own, without the threat of duress, and was even known to refuse to obey orders he did not agree with.

It is an unfortunate case, regardless of one’s opinion on his character. Everyone involved in the trial acted with utmost respect and dignity. Everyone did everything they were supposed to do, and yet still did not find the correct answer. There can be no correct answer. No real accounting for justice, for every single person impacted by Joseph Kony - including Ongwen.

During the Charles Taylor trials, the Prosecutor David Crane opened the floor for any child over the age of 15 who had committed voluntary acts within an armed group. So, the 'cut-off' for what constitutes the capacity to reason as an adult was put at around 15. Crucially, however, no child was actually brought up on these charges.

Personally, I believe in prison abolition, and I believe that rehabilitation would be more effective for these children (of course, some of them will be too dangerous to reintegrate, but this is a case-by-case issue). If I had not gotten treatment at Romeo Dallaire, I would have been imprisoned and exposed to institutional violence. This would have made me more violent, and I would have exited the prison system and went on to perpetuate even more violence. Because I got therapy and community healing, because I was able to hang on to my relationship with my mom, and I suppose because of my intellect and schizoid, I wound up flipping the switch in my brain from unmitigated antisocial disaster to a prosocial human being. What flipped that switch in me was being given responsibility to facilitate a group of younger children. The adults around me realized that I would thrive if put in a leadership role, and I was able to see myself helping people. I realized that there are other ways to engage with the world than base violence. The real splinter that occurred, that allowed me to break through the brainwashing, was during a shoot-out that I was involved in shortly after my treatment ended (so it was not some magical happy ending, I did have re-occurring issues afterward). But during that event, I realized in that moment that what we were doing was wrong. I am just very, very fortunate that no one lost their life and no one was injured on that day.

If we are referring to condemnation in the broader, non-legal sense - the answer is yes. Many former child soldiers are rejected by their communities when the fighting stops.

The adults in these communities were often more afraid of the child soldiers than the adult soldiers - you could reason with an adult soldier, but children do not fully understand the value of life, and are undergoing an extreme and radical shift in their identities and worldviews while accompanied by radical violence and forced substance abuse. The reality is that during the fighting, the children were more brutal than the adults.

When disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes occur, the long and arduous task of healing from the atrocities of communal violence must begin. 20 years ago, after the Liberian civil war, a group of children were followed by clinicians interested in evaluating the long-term psychosocial outcomes of child soldiering. For these children this was regrettably universally poor.

Many were homeless, uneducated, and addicted to drugs. Now, looking at those same children, the reports from 2022 are much different as our understanding of the law and trauma deepens and grows as a species. Many of these same children have some form of education, an occupation, housing, and are politically active in their communities.

Reintegration is a personal process. Often actions were taken that resulted in loss of life, permanent maiming/disability, witnessing cruelty, rapes, hacking off limbs, burning people alive - it does not matter if it’s a child or an adult subjecting you to this, it has a profound impact. But evidently the condemnation for their actions did not persist beyond the immediate aftermath.

These children were able to be brought back into the fold, and I think that is a beautiful thing.

[bubbiethesaur]

Hiii Bubbie ! Just wanted to say that you're gonna need to pay my therapy with that chapter- hehe no fr that was an amazing chapter i loved it so much , so many emotions came all at once that was really shocking hehe. I LOVE YOUR WRITING SO SO MUCH YOURE VERY TALENTED <3

MARGOOOO!!! Ahhhh thank you so much!

I’m so glad you liked the chapter! The end still gets my heart racing when I reread it.

[geezliberia]

LRA Expands Digital Capabilities with Acquisition of 50 Starlink Terminals to Boost Revenue Collection Nationwide

The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) is making significant strides in modernizing its operations with the acquisition of 50 Starlink satellite terminals, a move aimed at enhancing internet connectivity and streamlining the country’s tax and revenue collection systems. The $162,000 investment, funded by the International Development Association (IDA) and the Government of Sweden through the Public…

[roomselfcontain2]

A very sharp standard low budget cheap affordable income one bedroom house apartment for rent very neat and cool houses available now as pay and parking immediately all major components in this house is working located at rumuekini new layout in port Harcourt city rivers state Nigeria.

[justydrawz]

Grrr Long road ahead art. First scene that had me pause, and idek what's going on in it. I can't tell if it was Sun being flustered or reliving trauma, or foreshadowing? Idk but it just was so disturbing to me (the hands are not in relation to the moment, they are a part of how I draw LRA Sun B] depending on how the story goes I may stop drawing him like that)

Peach scene I believe in chapter 5

FIC MADE BY @bubbiethesaur ONLY SUN AND MOON FIC I CAN RECOMMEND 😭 IT'S SO GOOD DAWG

[solarsreblogacc]

Lra drawing 1/2 :D

Cw: slight blood stains, cuz eclipse-

(Click to see better cuz there's texture but tumblr likes eating the pixels)

Lra eclipse :D

Fic is long road ahead by @bubbiethesaur :D amazing au like omg yall should read if if you haven't already- me and my friend I introduce it to love it smmmm

This is two posts but I split it up cuz the two drawings are pretty different even while being of the same au lol (sorry for the notifications bubbie-)

https://www.tumblr.com/solarthefandomwizard/763087405777551360/lra-drawings-2?source=share

[venomous-qwille]

Long Road Ahead eclipse in the weekly magma.

If you haven't read @bubbiethesaur's fic GO DO IT IT'S SO FREAKING GOOD.

[celpii]

@bubbiethesaur your fic, Long Road Ahead, has not left my brain since I first read it! Words cannot describe how good it is!!

[bubbiethesaur]

my hand slipped :3

[fill-la-pill]

Hyūki and lamra

[hookeorcrook]

“Blood will have blood.”

For @breathlesshunt of their character Etienne (and Tam Lin) :^) as part of an RP secret santa

(please do not repost or use as your own. this is a gift!)

[simstationdance]

Crazy, I'm crazy for feeling so lonely I'm crazy, crazy for feeling so blue I knew you'd love me as long as you wanted And then someday, you'd leave me for somebody new...

Vikram & Madhuri Loner, circa 1979

[bigshoeswamp]

Fui a um restaurante chiquezinho, sem dinheiro mas com vontade de me mimar, paguei 40 reais por uma tostada e... ela era ruim :(

[americandolores]

I cannot stop thinking about the Ah! Ça lra opening at the Paris Olympics! It’s so addicting to hear her talk!🙌

[nascentwaves]

Kashtira cards already read like custom cards, so I probably won't touch those. They don't need anymore crazy staying power.

[justydrawz]

Lra doodles 😔 when I say this man helps me so I mean it, like if I ever make a vent he's at the end of it <3 He's helped me sm , I relate to him sm yet so little. More yapping under the cut

Istg when I tell u the fic isn't what it seems guys, it sounds bad but it's so comforting and oddly wholesome before it becomes like this like hell on earth type thing but in a good way. My only problem with the fic has to be Eclispe, I just don't like yn is like 🥰 "but I need the full set" type of deal it annoys me a little but that's really it. Moon is amazing too [won't say much but I did cri] ough

Here is the fic

Lra is by @bubbiethesaur