A lot of people ask why, after so many years, it is still so hard to find Joseph Kony and the final LRA holdouts. There are a lot of factors that play a role, including corruption, collaboration and complicity by regional actors.
Many of the sources I spoke with and public research by activists involved in the counter-LRA mission implicates Sudan's Armed Forces, or at least members of it. There is evidence to suggest SAF commanders have provided Kony and senior LRA commanders with a safe haven in the Kafia Kingi area, and given him advanced warning of impending raids.
The disputed nature of the Kafia Kingi territory makes it politically difficult for the African Union Regional Task Force - let alone the Americans - to conduct operations there without notifying Sudan in advance.
That said, there are also environmental considerations. The area in which the LRA operates - from northern DR Congo to southern Sudan, including parts of South Sudan and the Central African Republic, is huge, and sparsely populated. It runs the gamut from dense tropical rainforest (i.e. "jungle"), to Savannah grasslands and near-desert as you move into Sudan.
Here is a short clip from a patrol with American green berets and Ugandan soldiers, which I think eloquently illustrates the difficulties in finding someone who doesn't want to be found...
Apologies for the mic rubbing against the foliage, but at that point I was just letting the camera run and hoping I didn't lose the patrol. So it sounds louder than it actually was at the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a ninja - but I was moving as quietly as everyone else (call it a professional pride issue)...
My full story here: http://www.nbcnews.com/…/inside-green-berets-hunt-warlord-j…