| The earliest human inhabitants in
| |
| | and Amin fled with his remaining forces.
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| contemporary Uganda were
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| | Uganda since 1979
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| hunter-gatherers. Remants of these people
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| | After Amin's removal, the Uganda National
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| are today to be found among the pygmies
| |
| | Liberation Front formed an interim
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| in western Uganda. Between approximately
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| | government with Yusuf Lule as president.
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| 2000 to 1500 years ago, Bantu speaking
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| | This government adopted a ministerial
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| populations from central and western
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| | system of administration and created a
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| Africa migrated and occupied most of the
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| | quasi-parliamentary organ known as the
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| southern parts of the country. The
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| | National Consultative Commission (NCC).
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| migrants brought with them agriculture,
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| | The NCC and the Lule cabinet reflected
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| ironworking skills and new ideas of
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| | widely differing political views. In June
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| social and political organization, that
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| | 1979, following a dispute over the extent
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| by the fifteenth or sixteenth resulted in
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| | of presidential powers, the NCC replaced
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| the development of centralized kingdoms,
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| | Lule with Godfrey Binaisa. In a
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| including the kingdoms of Buganda,
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| | continuing dispute over the powers of the
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| Bunyoro-Kitara and Ankole.
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| | interim presidency, Binaisa was removed
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| Nilotic people, including Luo and Ateker
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| | in May 1980. Thereafter, Uganda was ruled
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| entered the area from the north probably
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| | by a military commission chaired by Paulo
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| beginning about AD 100. They were cattle
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| | Muwanga. The December 1980 elections
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| herders and subsistence farmers who
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| | returned the UPC to power under the
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| settled mainly the northern and eastern
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| | leadership of President Milton Obote,
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| parts of the country. Some Luo invaded
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| | with Muwanga serving as vice president.
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| the area of Bunyoro and assimilated with
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| | Under Obote, the security forces had one
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| the Bantu there, establishing the Babiito
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| | of the world's worst human rights
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| dynasty of the current Omukama (ruler) of
| |
| | records. In their efforts to stamp out an
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| Bunyoro-Kitara. Luo migration proceeded
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| | insurgency led by Yoweri Museveni's
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| until the 16th century, with some Luo
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| | National Resistance Army (NRA), they laid
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| settling amid Bantu people in Eastern
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| | waste to a substantial section of the
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| Uganda, and proceeding to the western
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| | country, especially in the Luwero area
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| shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya and
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| | north of Kampala.
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| Tanzania. The Ateker (Karimojong and Teso
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| | Obote ruled until July 27, 1985, when an
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| peoples) settled in the north-eastern and
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| | army brigade, composed mostly of ethnic
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| eastern parts of the country, and some
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| | Acholi troops and commanded by Lt. Gen.
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| fused with the Luo in the area north of
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| | Bazilio Olara-Okello, took Kampala and
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| lake Kyoga.
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| | proclaimed a military government. Obote
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| When Arab traders moved inland from their
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| | fled to exile in Zambia. The new regime,
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| enclaves along the Indian Ocean coast of
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| | headed by former defense force commander
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| East Africa and reached the interior of
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| | Gen. Tito Okello (no relation to Lt. Gen.
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| Uganda in the 1830s, they found several
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| | Olara-Okello), opened negotiations with
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| kingdoms with well-developed political
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| | Museveni's insurgent forces and pledged
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| institutions. These traders were followed
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| | to improve respect for human rights, end
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| in the 1860s by British explorers
| |
| | tribal rivalry, and conduct free and fair
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| searching for the source of the Nile
| |
| | elections. In the meantime, massive human
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| River. Protestant missionaries entered
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| | rights violations continued as the Okello
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| the country in 1877, followed by Catholic
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| | government carried out a brutal
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| missionaries in 1879.
| |
| | counterinsurgency in an attempt to
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| Colonial Uganda
| |
| | destroy the NRA's support.
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| In 1888, control of the emerging British
| |
| | Negotiations between the Okello
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| "sphere of interest" in East Africa was
| |
| | government and the NRA were conducted in
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| assigned by royal charter to the Imperial
| |
| | Nairobi in the fall of 1985, with Kenyan
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| British East Africa Company, an
| |
| | President Daniel arap Moi seeking a
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| arrangement strengthened in 1890 by an
| |
| | cease-fire and a coalition government in
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| Anglo-German agreement confirming British
| |
| | Uganda. Although agreeing in late 1985 to
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| dominance over Kenya and Uganda. The high
| |
| | a cease-fire, the NRA continued fighting,
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| cost of occupying the territory caused
| |
| | and seized Kampala and the country in
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| the company to withdraw in 1893, and its
| |
| | late January 1986, forcing Okello's
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| administrative functions were taken over
| |
| | forces to flee north into Sudan.
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| by a British commissioner. In 1894, the
| |
| | Museveni's forces organized a government
|
| Kingdom of Buganda was placed under a
| |
| | with Museveni as president.
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| formal British protectorate.
| |
| | Since assuming power, the government
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| Early independent Uganda
| |
| | dominated by the political grouping
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| Britain granted internal self-government
| |
| | created by Museveni and his followers,
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| to Uganda in 1961, with the first
| |
| | the National Resistance Movement (NRM or
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| elections held on March 1, 1961.
| |
| | the "Movement"), has largely put an end
|
| Benedicto Kiwanuka of the Democratic
| |
| | to the human rights abuses of earlier
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| Party became the first Chief Minister.
| |
| | governments, initiated substantial
|
| Uganda maintained its Commonwealth
| |
| | political liberalization and general
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| membership.
| |
| | press freedom, and instituted broad
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| In succeeding years, supporters of a
| |
| | economic reforms after consultation with
|
| centralized state vied with those in
| |
| | the International Monetary Fund (IMF),
|
| favor of a loose federation and a strong
| |
| | World Bank, and donor governments.
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| role for tribally-based local kingdoms.
| |
| | In northern areas such as Acholiland,
|
| Political maneuvering climaxed in
| |
| | there has been armed resistance against
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| February 1966, when Prime Minister Milton
| |
| | the government since 1986. Acholi based
|
| Obote suspended the constitution, assumed
| |
| | rebel groups include the Uganda People's
|
| all government powers, and removed the
| |
| | Democratic Army and the Holy Spirit
|
| president and vice president. In
| |
| | Movement. Currently, the only remaining
|
| September 1967, a new constitution
| |
| | rebel group is the Lord's Resistance Army
|
| proclaimed Uganda a republic, gave the
| |
| | headed by Joseph Kony, which has carried
|
| president even greater powers, and
| |
| | out widespread abduction of children to
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| abolished the traditional kingdoms.
| |
| | serve as soldiers or sex slaves.
|
| Uganda under Amin
| |
| | In 1996, Uganda was a key supporter of
|
| On January 25, 1971, Obote's government
| |
| | the overthrow of Zairean President Mobutu
|
| was ousted in a military coup led by
| |
| | Sese Seko in the First Congo War in favor
|
| armed forces commander Idi Amin Dada.
| |
| | of rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila.
|
| Amin declared himself president,
| |
| | Between 1998 and 2003, the Ugandan army
|
| dissolved the parliament, and amended the
| |
| | was involved in the Second Congo War in
|
| constitution to give himself absolute
| |
| | the renamed Democratic Republic of the
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| power.
| |
| | Congo and the government continues to
|
| Idi Amin's eight-year rule produced
| |
| | support rebel groups such as the Movement
|
| economic decline, social disintegration,
| |
| | for the Liberation of Congo and some
|
| and massive human rights violations. The
| |
| | factions of the Rally for Congolese
|
| Acholi and Langi ethnic groups were
| |
| | Democracy.
|
| particular objects of Amin's political
| |
| | In August 2005, Parliament voted to
|
| persecution because they had supported
| |
| | change the constitution to lift
|
| Obote and made up a large part of the
| |
| | presidential term limits, allowing
|
| army. In 1978, the International
| |
| | Museveni to run for a third term if he
|
| Commission of Jurists estimated that more
| |
| | wishes to do so. In a referendum in July,
|
| than 100,000 Ugandans had been murdered
| |
| | 2005, 92.5% supported restoring
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| during Amin's reign of terror; some
| |
| | multiparty politics, thereby scrapping
|
| authorities place the figure much higher.
| |
| | the no-party or "movement" system. Kizza
|
| In October 1978, Tanzanian armed forces
| |
| | Besigye, Museveni's political rival,
|
| repulsed an incursion of Amin's troops
| |
| | returned from exile in October 2005, and
|
| into Tanzanian territory. The Tanzanian
| |
| | was a presidential candidate for the 2006
|
| army, backed by Ugandan exiles waged a
| |
| | elections. In the same month, Milton
|
| war of liberation against Amin's troops
| |
| | Obote died in South Africa. Museveni won
|
| and the Libyan soldiers sent to help him.
| |
| | the February 2006 presidential election.
|
| On April 11, 1979, Kampala was captured,
| |
| |
|
