A CAMPAIGN to bring accused war criminal and fugitive head of the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebels Joseph Kony to justice is ruling social media.
The hashtag "stopkony" was among top trending topics on Twitter on Wednesday, vying for the top spot with tweets about the new iPad and axing of NFL superstar Peyton Manning.
"Invisible Children" and "Uganda" were also among the top trending topics on Twitter.
A number of celebrities tweeted links to the video and promoted the campaign.
"KONY2012," tweeted singer Rihanna on her account.
"Whoa! we need to STOPKONY," said actor Zooey Deschanel.
Born in 1988 out of the frustrations against the government of Uganda's marginalised Acholi ethnic group, the LRA has since dropped its national political agenda for the narrow objective of pillage and plunder.
The LRA rebels only number several hundred, a fraction of their peak strength, but include a core of hardened fighters infamous for mutilating civilians and abducting children to act as soldiers and sex slaves.
US President Barack Obama in October announced he was sending 100 special forces soldiers to Kampala to track down Kony, and in December it emerged operatives had set up in the Central African Republic as part of a regional effort.
The non-profit group has come in for some criticism for channelling a majority of its raised funds - some 70 per cent or more according to some accounts - to salaries, travel expenses and filmmaking.
Watchdog Charity Navigator has given the group a low two-star rating for its perceived lack of financial accountability.
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