'Kony 2012 Part II': Invisible Children Announces Sequel To Viral Hit

'Kony 2012' Sequel On The Way!

Invisible Children, the advocacy organization behind "Kony 2012," has announced "Kony 2012 Part II," a sequel to the record-breaking 30-minute video that went viral last month.

"Kony 2012," which has been viewed over 100 million times on YouTube and Vimeo, features Jason Russell, a co-founder of Invisible Children, his son, Gavin, and a former child soldier from Uganda named Jacob.

The nonprofit hoped to use the video to raise awareness of Joseph Kony and the atrocities carried out by his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in central Africa. After an initial outpouring of support, some criticized Invisible Children for oversimplifying a complicated issue.

The California-based group Invisible Children promised that its new film would give more details and context than the first, which urged grassroots campaigners to pressure politicians and the military to hunt the notorious Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony.

Invisible Children came under scrutiny in the days following the video's success, when the group was criticized for its funding sources and spending practices. Ben Keesey, the CEO of the organization, responded to some of the criticism in a video posted online.

Following the onslaught of media attention and scrutiny, Russell, who also directed "Kony 2012," had a highly-publicized meltdown on March 15 on a San Diego street corner. Russell's family said the following week that the meltdown was brought on by brief reactive psychosis.

"He is on the road to recovery," Jedidiah Jenkins, the group's "Director of Ideology," told Reuters on Saturday. "It's going to be months, the doctors say, but he is recovering."

According to the official Invisible Children Tumblr blog, "Kony 2012 Part II" will premiere on Tuesday, April 3.

Update: April 3, 2012:

A representative from Sunshine Sachs, a public relations firm representing Invisible Children, told The Huffington Post on Tuesday that for editing reasons, the release of "Kony 2012 Part II" has been delayed until later in the week.

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