1985 Ugandan coup d'état

Military takeover in Uganda 1985 Ugandan coup d'état Uganda-CIA WFB Map.png 300px July 27, 1985 Kampala, Uganda Coup successful Government of Uganda Acholi faction of UNLA Milton Obote Tito Okello Basilio Olara Okello At least 10 killed The 1985 Ugandan coup d'état was an ethnically motivated military takeover in Uganda involving dissident Acholi elements within the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), led by Brigadier Basilio Olara Okello,Ap 1990-01-12 Gen. B. O. Okello, 61, Uganda Rebel Leader https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/12/obituaries/gen-b-o-okello-61-uganda-rebel-leader.html 2024-06-03 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 which successfully ousted the second Milton Obote government. The army promptly named General Tito Okello Lutwa as President of the Military Council, only for him to be ousted six months later by Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Army (NRA).44. Uganda (1962-present) https://uca.edu/politicalscience/home/research-projects/dadm-project/sub-saharan-africa-region/uganda-1962-present/ 2024-06-03 uca.edu en-US Background Ugandan Bush War thumb|left|Milton Obote (pictured 1962) regained power after the disputed 1980 Ugandan general election. Following the overthrow of dictator Idi Amin by the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) and the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) rebel coalition,Kasozi 1994 129 a new government led by President Yusuf Lule was formed by the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) and the Tanzanians.Avirgan Honey 1983 146 However, the UNLF government proved to be weak and unstable, and quickly became embroiled in a series of crises. As he tried to exert his power, Lule was removed from office by the UNLF's powerful National Consultative Committee on 20 June 1979.Avirgan Honey 1983 197–200 His successor, Godfrey Binaisa, was also deposed in May 1980, whereupon the UNLF's Military Commission assumed control of Uganda.Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 39Avirgan Honey 1983 201, 217–218 Meanwhile, remnants of Amin's Uganda Army launched an insurgency in the north, starting a civil war which became known as the "Ugandan Bush War".Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 39 Even as violent unrest spread, the Military Commission was supposed to oversee the 1980 elections. Four parties participated in the elections, namely the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), the Conservative Party, and the Democratic Party. UPC candidate Milton Obote, who previously governed the country from 1966 to 1971 before being deposed by Amin, won with 40% of the votes. However, UPM candidate Yoweri Museveni disputed the results, claiming the elections were rigged and influenced by Tanzania to reinstate Obote.Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 39 Consequently, Museveni formed the Popular Resistance Army (PRA) insurgent group and entered the Bush War. Other political factions also rebelled over the election results.Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 39 Eventually, the PRA merged with another rebel group and formed the National Resistance Movement (NRM), whose armed wing was dubbed the National Resistance Army (NRA).Kasozi 1994 164–165 The NRA was primarily composed of members of the country's southern tribes who opposed President Obote's rule, including from the Nkole and Kigezi.SOIC-UGANDA_CASE_STUDY--1980-1986.PDF https://media.defense.gov/2023/Aug/04/2003275074/-1/-1/0/SOIC-UGANDA_CASE_STUDY--1980-1986.PDFUganda's Second Coup: The Reassertion of Military Muscle (1985) 1987 10.1007/978-1-349-18736-2_13 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-18736-2_13 Omara-Otunnu Amii 157–169 978-1-349-18738-6 The newly elected Obote administration, inheriting an ineffective military due to the disintegration of Amin's army during the liberation war, sought to rectify this by allocating much of the national budget to the military. As a result, the Ministry of Defense consistently had the highest estimated expenditure compared to the other ministries throughout Obote's tenure. Due to the ongoing insurgencies, the government depended greatly upon the military for counteraction, leading to a constant military presence. This dashed hopes that following Amin's overthrow, the military's sway in Ugandan politics would be diminished. The Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) after Amin's regime saw the disproportionate representation of soldiers from the Acholi, Lango, and Ankole as many western Uganda soldiers left to join Museveni's insurgency, making the UNLA become dominated by the northerners. Following the death of General Oyite Ojok in December 1982,Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 47 a unifying figure within the army, ethnic tensions escalated, particularly between the Acholi and Lango tribes.Uganda Coup 1985 https://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/uni/uganda/fuganda1985.htm 2024-06-03 www.onwar.com Discontent within Acholi ranks, which had already been simmering due to perceived marginalization and unfair treatment, were further fueled when Obote appointed a Lango as General Ojok's successor, Brigadier Smith Opon Acak, which also angered the Acholi-dominated officer corps.Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 47 His attempts to quell dissent among the officers, including surveillance and formation of a predominantly Langi paramilitary force, proved ineffective and only served to exacerbate tensions. Prelude Battle of Kembogo Though the UNLA gradually managed to contain or defeat several rebel groups around the country,Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 40 Avirgan Tony 3 May 1982 Amin's army finally defeated https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/05/03/Amins-army-finally-defeated/9492389246400/ United Press International 8 May 2019 the NRA continued to pose a significant issue. In an attempt to finally defeat the group, the UNLA high command ordered Lieutenant Colonel John Charles Ogole to oversee anti-NRA operations. Ogole was a veteran officer who had led successful counter-insurgency operations against other groups,Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 48 and his "Special Brigade" was regarded as one of the most effective units of the UNLA.Stapleton 2013 140Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 48 Ogole achieved some success, https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/people-power/unla-commander-john-ogole-s-account-of-luweero-war-1779858 UNLA commander John Ogole's account of Luweero war 22 September 2018 Daily Monitor 3 May 2021 but was ultimately unable to eliminate the NRA.Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 48 On 21 June 1985, two battalions of UNLA's Special Brigade, led by Eric Odwar and Joseph Kiyengo, were ambushed and defeated by the NRA's Mobile Brigade in the Battle of Kembogo.Kainerugaba 2010 130–133 Odwar termed the clash a "catastrophe";Kainerugaba 2010 133 historians Tom Cooper and Adrien Fontanellaz argued that the Special Brigade's defeat "delivered a massive psychological blow to the entire UNLA".Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 48 In the same month, the NRA won another victory in the smaller Battle of Rubona. The battle that ended Obote's second government Joshua Kato New Vision 21 June 2021 https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/news/the-battle-that-ended-obotes-second-governmen-NV_106594 20 September 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240920202730/https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/news/the-battle-that-ended-obotes-second-governmen-NV_106594 20 September 2024 live 1984: Mande, Kagame, Saleh Break UNLA's Spine Gilles Muhame Chimp Reports 26 January 2015 https://chimpreports.com/1984-mande-kagame-saleh-break-unlas-spine/ 20 September 2024 These setbacks demoralized the UNLA's troops, especially the Acholi soldiers who felt that they were suffering heavy losses for no gains. The military became increasingly critical of Obote's leadership.Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 48Kainerugaba 2010 125, 133 The unrest started to escalate soon after the Battle of Kembogo, as UNLA units mutinied in Jinja and Mbuya.Cooper Fontanellaz 2015 48Kainerugaba 2010 133–134 Coup attempt The coup attempt was initially plotted by senior Acholi officers who felt sidelined in the army, discussing their plans through meetings held in places such as the Kampala Club and Apollo Hotel. Despite state intelligence reporting on 25 July 1985, that army officials seemed to be organizing something, President Obote took no preventative action and dismissed the reports, believing General Tito Okello and Brigadier Basilio Olara Okello lacked the ambition to stage a coup.The Untold Story and Deeper Insights about the avoidable Acholi-led 27th July 1985 Military Coup that Was https://theinvestigatornews.com/2022/08/the-untold-story-and-deeper-insights-about-the-avoidable-acholi-led-27th-july-1985-military-coup-that-was/ Kamwada Fred Daka August 2, 2022 The Investigator In the lead-up to the coup, Brigadier Basilio recruited militias under the guise of fighting Karamojong cattle rustlers, integrating many Acholi youths into the army. Under the pretext of addressing cattle rustling, his forces, including the northern army brigade he commanded, moved towards the capital of Kampala, unaware of the full extent of their mission. President Obote issued an arrest warrant for the brigadier and a government official requested help from the North Korean military attaché, but it was too late. At about 11:00 on July 27, armed troops in trucks and jeeps appeared on the streets of Kampala, stunning the civilian populace.Mapolu 1985 1473 Encountering little to no resistance, the troops drove to specific locations and installations, stepped out of their trucks and fired their weapons into the air, inciting panic and causing most people to flee.Mapolu 1985 1473 They seized control of key government offices, including the parliament building, post office, radio station, and central bank,Army coup in Uganda July 27, 1985 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/07/27/Newsmap-picturesArmy-coup-in-Uganda/5182491284800/ 2024-06-03 United Press International en as well as the UPC's headquarters. Within three hours, the streets in the city were clear of everyone except the putschists.Mapolu 1985 1473 By sunset, initial resistance from government forces gave way to intensive clashes. The ensuing fighting resulted in widespread looting as looters ransacked shops and stole cars, causing significant destruction in Kampala.Freudenheim Milt Giniger Henry Levine Richard 1985-08-04 THE WORLD; UGANDA'S NEW LEADERS TRY TO TAKE CHARGE https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/04/weekinreview/the-world-uganda-s-new-leaders-try-to-take-charge.html 2024-06-03 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 The chaos led to the temporary closure of the nation's borders and Entebbe Airport, although 300 foreigners, including 62 American nationals, were allowed to leave the country. The looting continued until the afternoon of July 29, by which point much of the city had been ransacked.Mapolu 1985 1474 Lieutenant Ochala Walter announced the "total military coup" and end of Obote's "tribalistic rule" on Uganda radio, imploring NRA leader Yoweri Museveni to join efforts in the nation's reconstruction. Captain Kenneth Chana read the same message in Kiswahili.Lamwaka 2016 41 Following the successful coup, the new military government suspended the constitution, dissolved parliament, and dismissed all government ministers.Willis David K. July 29, 1985 After coup in Uganda, more instability expected. New rulers try to come to terms with rebels https://www.csmonitor.com/1985/0729/ocoup-f.html 2024-06-03 The Christian Science Monitor 0882-7729 A temporary 12-hour curfew from 6 PM to 6 AM was imposed to restore order and security in the aftermath of the upheaval.Rule Sheila 1985-07-28 UGANDA LEADER REPORTEDLY OUT IN ARMY COUP https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/28/world/uganda-leader-reportedly-out-in-army-coup.html 2024-06-03 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 On July 29, General Tito Okello was inaugurated as the new president of Uganda. Harden Blaine New Leader Sworn In In Uganda The Washington Post July 30, 1985 President Obote fled to Kenya while his cabinet sought sanctuary in Tanzania. Chris Rwakasisi, Obote's security chief, was arrested while trying to escape to Kenya. Meanwhile, Obote's vice president and Defense Minister, Paul Muwanga, was named Prime Minister of the country. Idi Amin, who had been living in exile in Saudi Arabia after being ousted, expressed his desire to return to the country. His wishes were firmly rejected by the government however. Aftermath The new nine-man military council, headed by General Tito Okello, sought reproachment with Museveni's insurgent group and opened negotiations. The general also promised to end tribalism, hold free and fair elections, and uphold human rights, the latter of which he broke as human rights violations continued under his rule. Mediated by Kenyan President Daniel Moi, an agreement was reached between the two parties in Nairobi, Kenya, which stipulated a ceasefire later that year. Despite this however, the NRA violated the agreement and resumed fighting on January 17, 1986, eventually capturing Kampala by January 26, 1986, and forcing General Tito Okello to flee north to Sudan.Uganda (03/06) https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/uganda/63657.htm state.gov Afterwards, the insurgents set up a new government with Museveni assuming leadership of Uganda. References Works cited Avirgan Tony Tony Avirgan Honey Martha Martha Honey War in Uganda: The Legacy of Idi Amin Dar es Salaam Tanzania Publishing House 1983 978-9976-1-0056-3 Cooper Tom Fontanellaz Adrien Wars and Insurgencies of Uganda 1971–1994 2015 Helion & Company Limited Solihull 978-1-910294-55-0 Kainerugaba Muhoozi Battles of the Ugandan Resistance: A Tradition of Maneuver Fountain Publishers Kampala 2010 https://books.google.com/books?id=nXMs6f3tlmsC 978-9970-25-032-5 Kasozi A. Social Origins of Violence in Uganda, 1964–1985 McGill-Queen's Press 1994 https://books.google.com/books?id=BSpTgR9XrccC&dq= Montreal 978-0-7735-6487-9 Lamwaka Caroline The Raging Storm: A Reporter's Inside Account of the Northern Uganda War, 1986-2005 Fountain Publishers 2016 Kampala https://books.google.com/books?id=Ev7MDQAAQBAJ 978-9970-25-221-3 Mapolu Henry Second Coup d'Etat Economic and Political Weekly 20 35 1473–1475 August 31, 1985 4374771 Stapleton Timothy J. A Military History of Africa. Volume 3 ABC-Clio 2013 Coup 1985 Category:1980s coups d'état Category:Ugandan Bush War Category:Milton Obote Category:July 1985