The Ugandan Civil War (also known as the Ugandan Bush War) is historically cited as having started on February 6, 1981, when one of the armed groups attacked a Ugandan military facility. The various rebel militias were tribal-based, operated independently of each other, and generally carried out their activities only within their local and regional strongholds. One such rebel militia consisted of former Ugandan Army soldiers still loyal to deposed leader General Idi Amin, and fought out of the West Nile District, which was General Amin’s homeland. The various rebel militias had limited capability to confront government forces and therefore employed hit-and-run tactics, such as ambushing army patrols, raiding armories and seizing weapons, and carrying out sabotage operations against government installations.
The rebel group that ultimately prevailed in the war was the National Resistance Army (NRA), led by Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s former Defense Minister. As a university student, Museveni had received training in guerilla warfare, which he would later put to use in the war.
In response, the Ugandan Army launched an extensive counter-insurgency campaign in the countryside. The soldiers particularly targeted the rural population, which they believed was supporting the rebels. The many atrocities committed by soldiers included summary executions, tortures, rapes, lootings, and destruction of homes and properties. The West Nile District was hard hit because of its fierce opposition to President Obote. Furthermore, soldiers from other ethnic groups were repressed during the reign of General Amin. Thus, after the dictator’s overthrow, these ethnic groups, particularly the Acholi and Lango which formed the majority in the Ugandan Army, carried out revenge by targeting civilians in the West Nile District.
(Taken from Ugandan Civil War – Wars of the 20th Century – Volume 3)
Background On April 11, 1979, General Idi Amin was removed from power when the Tanzanian Army, supported by Ugandan rebels, invaded and took over Uganda (previous article). Uganda then entered a transitional period aimed at a return to democracy, a process that generated great political instability. A succession of leaders held power only briefly because of tensions between the civilian government and the newly reorganized Ugandan military leadership. Furthermore, ethnic-based political parties wrangled with each other, hoping to gain and play a bigger role in the future government.
In general elections held in December 1980, former President Milton Obote, who had been the country’s head of state before being deposed in a coup by General Amin in 1971, returned to power by winning the presidential race. It was hoped that the elections would advance the country’s transition to democracy. Instead, they served as the trigger for the civil war that followed. Defeated political groups accused President Obote of cheating to win the elections. Tensions rose within the already charged political atmosphere. Many armed groups that already existed during the war now rose up in rebellion against the government.