One year after a film calling for the capture of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony became one of the most viral online videos ever, Uganda and reportedly even the US have suspended the hunt for the fugitive.

Early last year, US-based filmmakers Invisible Children created an internet video called Kony 2012 that aimed to expose the warlord’s guerrilla warfare tactics of using child soldiers as part of his Lord`s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

The group of filmmakers have wanted to bring Kony to justice at the International Criminal Court, where he is charged with crimes against humanity.

The film went on at the time to become the fastest video to surpass 100 million views on the web, according to Visible Measures research.

However, Invisible Children were heavily criticised for failing to correctly portray facts concerning Kony, as critics argued the film did not clarify that the warlord had fled Uganda to the Central African Republic just over five years ago, and that the conflict in that part of the world has subsided.

Further controversy dogged the film when Invisible Children co-founder and director Jason Russell experienced a ‘psychological breakdown’, which culminated in him being arrested for lewd and drunken behaviour in US city San Diego in March last year.

But in a sequel to Kony 2012 called ‘Move’ -- which was released last year October -- Russell appears in the film talking about his public meltdown, saying that it resulted from the pressure of dealing with criticism regarding his project.

The 30-minute documentary ended with a call to rally world leaders in Washington, D.C. on November 17 last year, in a bid to demand world leaders to follow up on ‘promises’ to capture Joseph Kony.

Yet these calls have seemingly fallen on deaf ears, as a coup in the Central African Republic (CAR) has stalled the search for Kony.

Uganda has suspended the hunt for fugitive warlord Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army fighters, blaming hostility towards foreign troops by CAR rebels who seized power last month.

In addition, about 100 US special forces helping with intelligence and logistical support have also called off operations temporarily.

But it was not immediately clear if troops from other countries in the regional force were also giving up the search.

Uganda, though, provides more than 3,000 troops of a 5,000-strong African Union force hunting Kony and his fighters. Kony is thought to be hiding in jungles straddling the borders of Central African Republic, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.

A separate coalition of rebels in Central African Republic, known as Seleka, toppled President Francois Bozize last month. They swept into the capital Bangui in a lightning offensive which triggered days of looting and drew international condemnation.

The Seleka rebels also killed 13 South African soldiers during their attack on Bangui.

"These rebels have been openly hostile to us and following that, the president (of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni) has ordered us only to be in defensive positions," said Dick Olum, head of Ugandan troops in the force hunting Kony and also the overall force commander.

"So we've temporarily suspended offensive operations against the LRA for now until we receive further orders," he told Reuters on Wednesday.

Crane Elise, US embassy information officer in Kampala, said US special forces had "temporarily paused the operations against LRA to give us time to consult with our partners."

Uganda's Daily Monitor newspaper had quoted her saying the consultations would be with the State Department, but Elise amended those comments, telling Reuters she had been misquoted.

LRA fighters fought the Ugandan government for nearly two decades before being ejected from their strongholds in the north of the country in 2005, forcing them to establish bases in the jungles of other countries in the region.

Children's rights groups urged the Ugandan and U.S. governments to keep their pledges to hunt down Kony.

"In spite of what is happening in CAR, we are reminding decision makers - both in Uganda and the US - to uphold commitments they have previously made towards bringing to an end the LRA conflict," said Michael Mubaginzi, the regional public relations and advocacy officer for Invisible Children Uganda.

Invisible Children, meanwhile, preempted earlier this week that the hunt for Kony has been jeopardised.

On 2 April, the US filmmakers blog said, “Invisible Children is standing alongside civil society leaders in CAR as we urge the international community to uphold their commitments to protect innocent civilians and put a stop to LRA violence.”

“We are asking the international community to encourage Uganda and the US to stand behind their commitments to stop the LRA by tweeting Secretary of State John Kerry,” said Invisible Children in the blog post.