Child soldiers

Africa | An ex-confidant of Uganda’s deranged rebel leader Joseph Kony traces his macabre tactics in a hidden war using invisible children | Courtney Lancaster

GULU, Uganda -- Patrick Komakech was a quick-witted 9-year-old living in northern Uganda when he became a soldier. His father was an army man, wealthy, well-known and well-respected, but Mr. Komakech didn't join his father's military. Instead, he went to the enemy's side, abducted from his primary school in Gulu by rebels of the terrifying Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

In a 19-year civil war that has ripped northern Uganda, Mr. Komakech became a statistic—one of the 20,000 children abducted to be brainwashed and abused into becoming rebel fighters. But his story is different. He rose to become a trusted confidant of the enigmatic Joseph Kony, the LRA's despotic leader. More importantly, after 10 years he managed to escape and now counsels and mentors children like him.