UGANDA

COMPENDIUM OF CONFLICTS IN UGANDA
WEST NILE
Post-Amin
The West Nile region has witnessed serious instability and conflict by armed
groups, the genesis of which lies in indiscriminate revenge killings by the UNLA
following the overthrow of Idi Amin Dada in 1979. In the aftermath of Amin’s
downfall, insurgencies emerged in West Nile to bring Amin back to power, but
also in an effort to protect the population from revenge attacks that had been
on the rise since Amin’s overthrow. Examples of such armed insurgencies are
the Uganda National Rescue Front I and II (UNRF) and the West Nile Bank Front
(WNFB).
40. Post-Amin Land Conflicts in the West Nile Region (1980 – present)
The post-Amin era in the West Nile region has been characterised by violent land
conflicts. After Amin’s fall from power in 1979 at the hands of the Tanzanian People’s
Defence Forces (TPDF) and the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), elements of the
Ugandan Army (which had been the national army under Amin) fled to West Nile. They
were followed by retaliating UNLA forces who occupied the whole region, “wreaking
their revenge on those they believed to be Amin’s people – in effect, all or most of the West
Nile tribes” 233 . Between 1980 and 1985, 80% of all West Nile residents were forced over
the border into exile
233 Leopold, M. (2005) Why are we cursed: Writing history and making peace in north west Uganda. Journal
of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 11 (2), pp. 211-229.
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