Last year's viral video sensation, "Kony 2012," has begun to have some of its hoped-for impact. According to a New York Times article, elite American forces were in the Central African Republic last spring, aiding the local African forces in their hunt for Joseph Kony - a rebel commander and fugitive. An American official was quoted in the article as saying:
“Let’s be honest, there was some constituent pressure here. Did ‘Kony 2012’ have something to do with this? Absolutely.”
The video, posted last March by Invisible Children, a group dedicated to finding Kony, was a YouTube smash with over 96 million views. The American forces are not participating in the search for Kony directly, nor in any combat, they are simply there to support the African forces with what Navy SEAL Captain Ken Wright was quoted as calling, "an advise and assist role."
According to an ABC News article, the African troops managed to kill Kony's bodyguard last week, but are still on the hunt for Kony - and are still being assisted by what the article calls "U.S. military advisers."