Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel, and his two eldest sons are among dozens of Ugandans who have been hit by the US sanctions.
The US, through its Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) accused Kony, his sons Salim Saleh Kony and Ali Kony of committing acts of violence, abductions, and forced displacements of civilians in the Central African Republic (CAR).
Kony and his brutal rebel force are also being accused of involvement in the global illicit ivory trade.
According to the US, the proceeds from the illicit ivory trade are being used to finance the conflict.
The US also accuses Kony and his two young sons of recruiting children into the LRA ranks and targeting peacekeepers in the region.
The US has also designated LRA as a terrorist group.
In November, the US embassy in South Sudan in a statement said the US$5 million rewards for information leading to the arrest, transfer, and conviction of Kony is still available.
In May 2014, the UPDF announced that Kony has appointed his eldest son, Salim Saleh Kony as his second-in-command. Other Ugandans hit by US sanctions are Kale Kahiyura, the former Inspector General of Police (IGP), former ADF leader Jamil Mukulu and Justice Wilson Musalu Musene of the High Court of Uganda.