UGANDA

19. Liberation War to Overthrow Amin (1979)
NATIONAL CONFLICTS
The war to overthrow Amin, waged by the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) and
the Tanzanian People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) against Amin’s military regime, represents
a watershed in the political and social history of the nation. Amin’s eight-year rule was
characterised by deteriorating economic conditions, brutality by security
forces, and rampant corruption. 147
By the end of his stay in power,
his local support base had dwindled, the foreign financial and
military support from which he had initially benefited had mostly dried up, and his own
military was crippled by division and indiscipline. 148 The immediate result of the Liberation
War, as it is commonly called, was increased insecurity caused by soldiers pillaging the
country, and political instability as Amin’s successors contended for power. 149
Cracks in the regime’s foundations first appeared when several battalions mutinied,
thereby forcing Amin to rely increasingly on mercenaries from southern Sudan and
eastern Zaire/Congo. 150 Though Amin had previously enjoyed foreign military support
147 Research conducted in Mukono District
148 Fall of Idi Amin (1979) Economic and Political Weekly, 14 (21) (1979), pp. 907-10
149 Southall, A. (1980) Social disorganisation in Uganda: Before, during and after Amin. The Journal of
Modern African Studies 18 (4), p. 627-56
150 Fall of Idi Amin (1979) Economic and Political Weekly, 14 (21) (1979), pp. 907-10
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