The history of Uganda comprises the history of the people who inhabited the territory of present-day Uganda before the establishment of the Republic of Uganda,and the history of that country once it was established. Evidence from the Paleolithic era shows humans have inhabited Uganda for at least 50,000 years. The forests of Uganda were gradually cleared for agriculture by people who probably spoke Central Sudanic languages. The Empire of Kitara grew out of the Urewe culture in the 10th century. Following the migration and invasion of Luo peoples c. 15th century,Kitara would collapse,and from the ashes rose various Biito kingdoms such as Bunyoro alongside Buganda.
Idi Amin Dada Oumee was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern world history.
Apollo Milton Obote was a Ugandan politician who served as the second prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and the second president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and later from 1980 to 1985.
The Second Republic of Uganda existed from 1971 to 1979,when Uganda was ruled by Idi Amin's military dictatorship. Amin's rule formally came to an end with the Uganda-Tanzania War,which ended with Tanzania occupying Uganda and Amin fleeing into exile.
The History of Uganda from 1979 to 1986 comprises the history of Uganda since the end of the dictatorship of Idi Amin. This period has seen the second rule of Milton Obote and the presidency of Yoweri Museveni since 1986,in which Ugandan politics have been dominated by the National Resistance Movement.
The National Resistance Army (NRA) was a guerilla army and the military wing of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) that fought in the Ugandan Bush War against the government of Milton Obote,and later the government of Tito Okello. NRA was supported by Muammar Gaddafi.
The Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) was a Ugandan rebel group led by Yoweri Museveni. The group factually emerged in 1971,although it was formally founded in 1973. FRONASA,along with other militant groups such as Kikosi Maalum,formed the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its military wing the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) in 1979 to fight alongside Tanzanian forces against Idi Amin.
The Uganda–Tanzania War,known in Tanzania as the Kagera War and in Uganda as the 1979 Liberation War,was fought between Uganda and Tanzania from October 1978 until June 1979 and led to the overthrow of Ugandan President Idi Amin. The war was preceded by a deterioration of relations between Uganda and Tanzania following Amin's 1971 overthrow of President Milton Obote,who was close to the President of Tanzania,Julius Nyerere. Over the following years,Amin's regime was destabilised by violent purges,economic problems,and dissatisfaction in the Uganda Army.
The Ugandan Bush War was a civil war fought in Uganda by the official Ugandan government and its armed wing,the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA),against a number of rebel groups,most importantly the National Resistance Army (NRA),from 1980 to 1986.
Kikosi Maalum,also known as the Special Battalion or the grand coalition,was a militia of Ugandan exiles formed in Tanzania to fight against the regime of Idi Amin. The unit was founded by and loyal to former Ugandan President Milton Obote,and served as his de facto private army. It was commanded by former army officers David Oyite-Ojok,and Tito Okello. Kikosi Maalum took part in the Uganda–Tanzania War,fighting alongside the Tanzanian military against Amin's forces. In course of this conflict,the militia was nominally unified with other Ugandan rebel groups,forming the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) in 1979. After the fall of Amin's regime and Obote's return to power,Kikosi Maalum became the core of Uganda's new national army.
Yashpal Tandon is a Ugandan policymaker,political activist,professor,author and public intellectual. He has lectured extensively in the areas of International Relations and Political economy. He was deeply involved in the struggle against the dictatorship of Idi Amin in 1970's Uganda and has spent time in exile. He is the author and editor of numerous books and articles and has served on the editorial boards of many journals.
The Nakivubo Pronouncement was a commitment issued by Milton Obote,of the ruling party of Uganda,the Uganda Peoples Congress,in 1970. It outlined the increased nationalisation of major industries as part of the move towards socialism described by the Common Man's Charter of 1969. It was ultimately a failure insofar as it did not achieve the socialist ideal it was supposed to portray.
The Move to the Left was a policy direction undertaken in Uganda,most notably under President Milton Obote in the period 1968–1971. Despite nominally being a move towards socialism,it also had strong nationalist overtones.
The heart of the move to the left can be simply stated. It is... that political and economic power must be vested in the majority
Mahmood Mamdani,FBA is an Indian-born Ugandan academic,author,and political commentator. He currently serves as the Chancellor of Kampala International University,Uganda. He was the director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) from 2010 until February 2022,the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government and a Professor of Anthropology,Political Science and African Studies at Columbia University.
Student activism and politics was a significant part of Ugandan higher education in the 20th century. Beginning in the 1930s,Ugandan universities and secondary schools were a center for revolutionary movement. For three decades,most youth movements focused on independence from the British Empire. Following independence in 1962,activist groups shifted focus internally. Student leadership groups at universities around Uganda,especially Makerere University,were politically affiliated and elections for student government were closely tied to political standing. Student activist groups were key opposition against the regimes of Milton Obote and Idi Amin,and students were especially targeted for persecution during Amin's presidency. During Yoweri Musevini's presidency,students have been leading critics,participating in large protests both preceding and following Musevini's move to eliminate presidential term limits in 2006. Consistent opposition to President Yoweri Musevni culminated in three shutdowns of Makerere University.
Basil Kiiza Bataringaya was a prominent Ugandan politician in post-independence Uganda. He was the Leader of the Opposition at the beginning of the Apollo Milton Obote government,and then he changed parties and was appointed to the powerful role of Ugandan Minister of Internal Affairs. He was imprisoned,tortured,and was one of the first political prisoners to be executed by the Idi Amin regime.
The Uganda Army,also known as the Uganda Rifles,served as the national armed forces of Uganda during the presidencies of Mutesa II and Milton Obote. As time went on,the military was gradually expanded and increasingly interfered in Uganda's national politics. It played a prominent role in defeating local insurgencies,suppressing opposition to Obote,and intervened in conflicts in the Congo as well as Sudan. Dissatisfied soldiers overthrew Obote in 1971,resulting in the establishment of the Second Republic of Uganda under the dictatorship of army commander Idi Amin. The Uganda Army was purged,with thousands of suspected pro-Obote troops killed or fleeing the country. The military was consequently split into an army serving under Amin –the Uganda Army (1971–1980) –and exiled rebel factions. The latter helped to overthrow Amin's regime during the Uganda–Tanzania War of 1978–79,and became the core of the Uganda National Liberation Army which would serve as Uganda's national military from 1980 to 1986.
The Save Uganda Movement was a militant Ugandan opposition group which fought against the government of President Idi Amin from 1973 to 1979. Described as "specialists in sabotage" by journalist John Darnton,SUM attempted to overthrow Amin by waging a guerrilla campaign of bombings,raids,and assassinations. The movement mainly operated from Kenya and Tanzania. Unlike much of the Ugandan opposition at the time,SUM had no firm ideology and was decentralized,consisting of different groups with similar aims,the principal one being the ouster of Idi Amin. SUM cooperated with the forces loyal to ex-President Milton Obote during the Uganda–Tanzania War (1978–1979) and eventually joined the Uganda National Liberation Front which formed the country's post-Amin governments.
The 1972 invasion of Uganda was an armed attempt by Ugandan insurgents,supported by Tanzania,to overthrow the regime of Idi Amin. Under the orders of former Ugandan President Milton Obote,insurgents launched an invasion of southern Uganda with limited Tanzanian support in September 1972. The rebel force mostly consisted of the "People's Army" whose forces were mainly loyal to Obote,but also included guerillas led by Yoweri Museveni. The operation was hampered by problems from the start,as a planned rebel commando raid had to be aborted,Amin was warned of the impending invasion,and the rebels lacked numbers,training,and equipment. Regardless,the militants occupied a few towns in southern Uganda at the invasion's start. However,no major popular uprising erupted as Obote had hoped.
The Uganda Nationalist Organization was a militant opposition group composed of politically conservative Ugandans who wanted to overthrow Idi Amin,President and dictator of Uganda in the 1970s. UNO operated from 1978 to 1980,taking part in the Uganda–Tanzania War on the side of Tanzania.
