Museveni Captures Kampala
"Museveni Captures Kampala" refers to a pivotal event in Uganda's history that occurred in January 1986 when Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his National Resistance Army (NRA) seized control of the capital city amidst years of civil unrest. Leading up to this moment, Uganda experienced significant political turmoil, marked by the military coup of Idi Amin in 1971 and the subsequent rise and fall of various leaders, including Milton Obote. Following a protracted guerrilla war known as the Ugandan Bush War, which began in 1981, Museveni's forces gained traction against the unpopular government of Tito Okello, who had taken power through a coup in 1985. The NRA's three-day assault on Kampala culminated in the capital's capture, which signified the end of multiple regime changes driven by ethnic rivalries.
Museveni's ascent to power was heralded by promises of establishing a democratic and ethnically balanced government, aiming to mend the social divisions that had plagued Uganda. Although his government initially operated under a one-party system, shifts toward multi-party democracy occurred later, allowing for broader political participation. Museveni's tenure has been characterized by relative stability and economic development, particularly in southern and western Uganda, despite ongoing conflicts in the northern regions. Since becoming president, Museveni has remained a dominant force in Ugandan politics, shaping both domestic policy and regional dynamics.
Museveni Captures Kampala
Date January 25, 1986
After years of fighting and nearly a decade of sporadic warfare, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s forces seized the Ugandan capital of Kampala, filling the power vacuum that had developed after Idi Amin’s dictatorial regime.
Locale Kampala, Uganda
Key Figures
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (b. 1944), National Resistance Movement leader and president of Uganda beginning in 1986Milton Obote (1924-2005), president of Uganda, 1966-1971 and 1980-1985Tito Okello (1914-1996), general of Uganda National Liberation Army and ruler of Uganda, 1985-1986Bazilio Olara-Okello (1929-1990), brigadier of the Uganda National Liberation Army who took power briefly in Uganda in 1985Idi Amin (1925-2003), dictator of Uganda, 1971-1979Yusuf Lule (1912-1985), short-term interim president of Uganda in 1979Godfrey Binaisa (b. 1920), attorney and short-term interim president of Uganda, 1979-1980Julius Nyerere (1922-1999), president of Tanzania, 1964-1985
Summary of Event
The East African state of Uganda had been embroiled in widespread civil unrest for fourteen years leading up to Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s capture of the capital, Kampala, in January, 1986. In 1971, Colonel Idi Amin staged a military coup and removed President Milton Obote from office. Amin’s unsteady regime ruled from 1971 to 1979.
A disparate group of Ugandan rebels, living in exile in Tanzania, united against Amin’s government by forming the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its military wing, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), plotting to take back the country. Among these rebels were the ousted president Obote, Museveni, Tito Okello, and Yusuf Lule. While in Tanzania, the UNLF gained the support of the country’s president, Julius Nyerere. With the aid of the Tanzanian army (Tanzanian People’s Defense Force), the UNLA invaded Uganda in 1978-1979. Amin’s army was no match for the combined Tanzanian army and UNLA. After Amin was deposed, the UNLF appointed Lule to rule the interim Ugandan government. The UNLF soon deemed Lule unfit, however, and appointed Godfrey Binaisa to oversee the government until they could organize an election. The highly contested election in 1980 declared Milton Obote the president of Uganda. Many observers and dissidents challenged the validity of the elections, accusing Obote’s forces of manipulating the vote.
Among the dissidents outraged by the election results was Museveni. He had worked under the Obote regime during Obote’s first term and had fought on Obote’s side against Amin. Dissatisfied with the results of the election and the manner with which the elections took place, Museveni gathered some followers and revolted. Museveni’s rebel group, the National Resistance Army (NRA), began its war against Obote when it attacked the Kabamba military barracks on February 6, 1981. The objective of this raid, along with many subsequent raids on other military facilities, was to gain weapons to fight the Ugandan government. After the Kabamba raid, the NRA fled to rural areas of Uganda where they conducted a guerrilla war, known as the Ugandan Bush War, against the government. The war raged through the early 1980’s while Museveni’s band grew in size and strength.
Following Amin’s regime, President Obote faced the daunting task of uniting diverse ethnic groups, stabilizing Uganda’s plummeting economy, and squelching political revolts like Museveni’s NRA. Obote actively made overtures with different ethnic groups and attempted to mend the rifts galvanized by successive Ugandan leaders. However, his regime was unpopular and alienated the ethnic groups of the central and western regions. Museveni’s forces thrived in this time of confusion, and the Ugandan government was ill prepared to fight against Museveni’s rebellion. The NRA received supplies and intelligence from allies as they attacked from rural areas, commonly called “the bush.” The NRA used bases in the bush to launch attacks and to draw support from other Ugandans frustrated by the government. Many of the most decisive and brutal battles took place in a triangle-shaped region north of Kampala, known as the Luwero Triangle. In addition to raiding government facilities, the NRA relied on local donations and offerings made by its members to support its operations.
The war that enveloped Uganda injured Obote’s already low popularity. Furthermore, the country’s ethnic divisions were mirrored in the military. On July 27, 1985, an officer in the Ugandan army, Bazilio Olara-Okello led a military coup against Obote and took control of Uganda by establishing a military council. After the coup, the military council chose Tito Okello to lead the government and consolidate the fragmented state. Olara-Okello remained a key figure in the military. Okello’s regime tried to strengthen ties with important ethnic groups and to deepen his influence in the military by enlisting Amin’s former soldiers. However, many soldiers and officers in the Ugandan military felt that they could not fight beside a force they had previously fought against. Disillusioned officers and infantrymen joined Museveni’s ranks against the government in mass defections. By 1985, the NRA had gained significant control of the country and threatened to overthrow the regime.
The Okello regime offered a peace treaty to Museveni’s NRA, and the two groups met briefly in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. However this meeting failed to secure peace, and the NRA continued its offensive against Okello’s army. The attack on Kampala lasted three days. On January 25, 1986, the NRA secured control of the capital. Okello’s army, led by Olara-Okello, fled to the east and continued to fight the NRA. Inside Kampala, rioting and looting accompanied the battle. Civilians joined Olara-Okello’s soldiers as they robbed shops and destroyed property on their way out of Kampala. Museveni’s NRA split up at this time: One segment of the army pursed Olara-Okello’s forces while the other attempted to establish order in Kampala. The NRA chased Olara-Okello’s army to Sudan, where Tito Okello had sought refuge. The fall of Kampala marked the end of a series of political and military power transfers between competing ethnic groups in Uganda.
Museveni pledged to create a democratic and ethnically balanced government in Uganda. His National Resistance Movement, the political wing of the NRA, would become the sole party in Uganda and would work to dissolve ethnic tensions. Both Obote and Okello were in exile. Okello and Olara-Okello separated, and Museveni granted Okello amnesty in Uganda. The ethnically defined political groups of western Uganda were relieved that the regime had been removed, and the groups did not mount a serious resistance to the NRA.
Significance
The National Resistance Movement under Yoweri Museveni ushered in a new era of relative peace to an embattled Uganda. Uganda was embroiled in civil strife since Idi Amin’s coup in 1971 and suffered from multiple regime turnovers after 1979. Between Amin’s insurgency and Museveni’s capture of the capital, an estimated 800,000 Ugandans died in civil conflicts and as a result of political purges. Since Museveni began his tenure, there has been relative peace in southern and western Uganda. Factional strife continued, most notably the with the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Uganda People’s Democratic Army, both in northern Uganda, the West Nile Bank Front in the west, and the Karamojong in the northeast. Nevertheless, Uganda began a period of stability that its had not seen since its liberation from British rule. Citizens could travel and trade with some guarantee of safety.
Museveni installed a one-party government and a tiered form of direct and indirect democracy through the National Resistance Councils. However, this system was dissolved through a referendum so that multiple parties could compete. Since 1996, presidential elections rewarded Museveni with the democratic rule of Uganda. Museveni was elected president in 1996 and reelected in 2001. He was elected a third time in 2006, though with a controversial amendment to the constitution allowing a third term of office. Museveni continues to be a powerful leader of Uganda and heavily influential in the politics of the surrounding states.
Bibliography
Amaza, Ondogaori. Museveni’s Long March: From Guerrilla to Statesman. Kampala, Uganda: Fountain, 1998. History of Museveni’s rise as a political and military leader as told by a former medical office in the NRA who also cowrote Uganda’s constitution.
Clayton, Anthony. Frontiersmen: Warfare in Africa Since 1950. Philadelphia. UCL Press, 1999. Describes military episodes that have shaped the history of Africa since 1950. Brief accounts of the wars and important figures that shaped their outcomes.
Museveni, Yoweri. Sowing the Mustard Seed: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Uganda. London: Macmillan, 1997. Autobiography contains stories of Museveni from childhood through his second term as president. Discusses his political objectives as the leader of a nascent government.
Rake, Alan. African Leaders: Guiding the New Millennium. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2001. Analyses the choices and opportunities the new wave of African leaders face in the unstable context of African politics.