"Stop Kony" charity concerns

Before handing over your cash to the latest viral sensation it might be worth investigating the charity behind it.

Among the top trending topics on Twitter over recent days has been #stopkony and an emotional 30-minute video produced by non-profit group Invisible Children has been viewed millions of times.

Invisible Children wanted to draw attention to the acts of Ugandan militia leader Joseph Kony, whose whereabouts are unknown, and bring him to justice.

Its video and campaign said it "aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice."

Kony's movement, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), draws on messianic beliefs and is wanted by the International Criminal Court.

The LRA rebels include hardened fighters infamous for mutilating civilians and abducting children to act as soldiers and sex-slaves.

Invisible Children said Kony and the LRA have abducted more than 30,000 children in northern Uganda.

But the not-for-profit has come under fire for its own support of the Ugandan military, armed to fight Kony, which itself has faced accusations of rape, murder and brazen crimes against civilians.

In October last year the US announced it would send troops to Central Africa to aid in support and in November 2011 the US Department of State stated its concerns about Uganda's military.

"In April and May (of 2011), Ugandan security forces killed at least 10 civilians, including a two-year old girl, while attempting to disrupt peaceful protests against rising prices," it said.

Some analysts have remained sceptical that the US push would succeed where others have failed.

Reuters reported in February experts also voiced concern that the United States, by joining up with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, is strengthening the hand of an African leader increasingly accused of human rights abuses and political oppression at home.

"This is a regime that is basically slowly collapsing from within," Uganda expert and senior associate in the Africa program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Joel Barkan, said.

"In terms of a long-term bet in respect to providing peace and security in Uganda, a country that held out such promise for a while, those days are over."

While there has been overwhelming social and broader media support for the "Stop Kony" campaign, other questions have been raised about Invisible Children’s use of fundraising and the distribution of those funds.

The group supports direct military intervention and its money supports the Ugandan government's army.

At the end of its video there is a call to sponsor the campaign and on the Invisible Children website you can buy an advocacy kit for $30 which includes stickers and a T-shirt.

There are also reports about 70 per cent of the organisation's income goes to film making, salaries and travel expenses.

US-based Charity Navigator gives the group a low two-star rating for lack of financial accountability.