| Uganda National Rescue Front | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Moses Ali |
| Active regions | Uganda (mainly in West Nile) |
| Ideology | Idi Amin loyalism |
| Part of | West Nile rebels |
| Allies |  Uganda government (1985–1986) Libya (until 1985) Saudi Arabia |
| Opponents | Uganda government (1981–1985) |
| Battles and wars | Uganda Bush War |
The Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF) refers to two former armed rebel groups in Uganda's West Nile sub-region that first opposed, then became incorporated into the Ugandan armed forces.
The first entity called Uganda National Rescue Front, also known as "National Salvation Front", [1] was formed to oppose Milton Obote during his second term (1980–1985) as president of Uganda. The UNRF was composed of former supporters of Idi Amin, and headed by Brigadier Moses Ali, formerly Amin's Minister of Finance. [2]
After the fall of Obote in July 1984/5, over 1,000 cadres of the UNRF joined Yoweri Museveni's government. Luwero Moses Ali held a large number and variety of positions in Museveni's government, including Minister of Tourism and Wildlife, [3] [4] and Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport. In April 1990 he was arrested on treason charges, and incarcerated until June 1992, when he was released and acquitted. [5] This did not prevent his appointment as Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister for Disaster Preparedness, and Deputy Prime Minister.
| UNRF II insurgency | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Uganda | UNRF II | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Yoweri Museveni | Ali Bamuze | ||||||
The Uganda National Rescue Front II was a group that broke away from the West Nile Bank Front in 1996, and included members of the original UNRF that did not make peace with Museveni. It operated mostly in Aringa County, Arua District, out of bases in southern Sudan, and received support from the Sudanese government (the National Islamic Front), in retaliation for Ugandan government's support for the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was led by Major General Ali Bamuze.
On December 24, 2002, the UNRF II signed a formal ceasefire with the government in the town of Yumbe in northwestern Uganda. The terms included a battalion of UNRF II soldiers being incorporated into the Ugandan army, and USh 4.2 billion being distributed to the group. Moses Ali is reported to have participated in the negotiations. [6]
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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.
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