April 1979: Uganda’s last liberation day

On April 11, 1979, a combined force of Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) and Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), in an operation that shook the African continent at the time, saw the official collapse of Idi Amin’s regime when then Lt Col David Oyite-Ojok announced on Radio Uganda that the regime of murder and terror was no more; Kampala had fallen and Amin and his henchmen - backed by Gaddafi’s Libyan mercenaries and machinery - were on the run.

Uganda had been liberated – the last liberation. At the time, Gaddafi’s Libya was considered the most powerful militarily on the continent (outside apartheid South Africa) and the loud Amin, considered himself the second most powerful.  

Amin had militarily toppled the elected UPC government in January 1971; actively encouraged, backed and equipped by the British, Israel and their allies. UPC’s only crime at the time was its active and leading role in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa and Zimbabwe and Britain’s support to both racist regimes.

Earlier, UPC’s move to radically transform Uganda’s economy in favour of indigenous Ugandans and with proclamation of the famous Common Man’s Charter (not necessarily fully implemented), the imperialists interests were threatened.
Israel, with its war with Egypt, was hungry for allies along River Nile and Uganda (the underbelly of Arab world), was not particularly a willing quisling.

The Americans, possibly for slightly different reasons were particularly unhappy with UPC’s support for Lumumbist liberation forces in Congo (under Marshall Mobutu); this following the cruel assassination of the great African icon, Patrice Lumumba. At the time, only real Africans like Obote could dare translate their convictions, values, beliefs and interest of their peoples into practice.  He paid for it.

With turncoats in DP and other chauvinist groups, Amin initially gained a base on which he would use to slaughter Ugandans and, killings he did. First targeting close Obote allies, friends and families, he turned on to any UPC members that mattered across the country side by side with Lango, Acholi and other associated Luo identities in Uganda and especially those in government, security services, parastatal or private organisations that mattered.

Yet almost immediately, hardly one year later, he was on target with former allies like DP leader Ben Kiwanuka (his former Attorney General), facing the wrath in 1972. My own area MP and minister for Local Government James Ochola Ondoa disappeared in Tororo Town on broad day light, certainly feared dead. His remains have never been found. My father’s God-son, a young army officer in Mbarara, Mark (Mariko) Ofunga did not escape, leaving a young family.

When Amin visited his masters in Britain and had tea with the Queen, he was given less money than he wanted. This was, after a visit to his command-tacticians, Israel who correctly declined arms sales; the kind that would have made him a regional chief. He was furious and turned against them, expelling Asians in part to annoy his masters but also to seek local ‘nationalist’ support.

By 1977 he had lost it, killing Archbishop Janani Luwum among others. But with the political leadership of Milton Obote in Dar es Salaam and the major backing of Julius Nyerere, it would be only a matter of time before crossing the line and, he did! He attached Tanzania’s Kagera salient in 1978 and the rest is history.  

But the quick point is this; the eventual war that defeated Idi Amin, Gaddafi and their imperialist and Arab backers was politically led. Second, when it became apparent that Amin’s fall was eminent, a meeting of all opposition groups was held – Moshi Unity Conference – in March 1979. That meeting formed the Uganda National Liberation Front and the Uganda National Liberation Army, among others.

So, as we mark this now-nearly-erased-day, remember; a slave does not abide in the house forever, said Jesus (John 8:32) and “you shall know the truth and truth shall make you free”.

The writer is a former UPC spokesperson [email protected]