{UAH} HOW DID THE NRA MANAGE TO GAIN STRENGTH AND HOLD GROUND?
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4:36 PM |
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The suitable phrase should be 'survival' and not 'strength'. The main source of NRA's survival was in its ability to effectively exploit the situation caused by its deceptive methods of operation. To a lesser extent, the government's inneffectiveness in conducting a counter insurgency coupled by the indiscipline of its troops were also contributing factors. What is completely untenable is the long held view that the NRA's survival lay in its being 'pro-people'. This is because the NRA had not grown out of a mass uprising. Museveni has repeatedly and publicly stated that "those past goverments were weak".
After the fall of Iddi Amin, enthusiastic young men more especially the educated ones had embraced the formation of the new army. Even the less educated ones like Museveni's brother Salim Saleh were in favour of serving the new national army. That is how he was not involved in the first attack on Kabamba. A number of young lawyers like Tinyefuza and Jim Muhweezi who had joined the police voluntarily deserted their duty stations with a Landrover full of arms, linked with a few others in Kampala ready to head for the bush. They were intercepted and detained at a Police station from where they later escaped and proceeded to the bush. According to Museveni, "the government was weak" because under his current government such suspects would be held in "safe houses". Museveni's FRONASA had been well catered for in the new army structures save the Rwandese Refugees who had been legal excluded. Amama Mbabazi had been a Director of Legal Services, Fabious Byaruhanga was a Director of Transport, Sam Katabarwa was a Director of Political Education and others. A good number of pro-FRONASA cadet (westerners) graduates voluntarily abandoned the UNLA to join Museveni in the bush. Many resisted manipulation, blackmail and intimidation and refused to defect. The rejected Rwandese Tutsi refugees who had been retained by Museveni were to form the core and most loyal group of the NRA. Museveni enlisted a number of former Iddi Amin soldiers notably Tadeo Kanyankole, Italikire Kiiza, Rwamukaaga and many more whose contribution has been underplayed. He immediately sought help from Libya's Gadafi who had helped the crumbling regime of Iddi Amin less than two years earlier.
Many criminals escaping justice would find sanctuary in the NRA. Reuben Ikondere ran to the bush after stubbing someone and Pecos Kuteesa ran to the bush while escaping arrest for harrassing and extorting civilians at roadblocks. Frank Guma had been a Paymaster in the UNLA but he took off with all the soldiers' pay to join the NRA. In the NRA he was made the Chief Controller of Finance (CCF). Julius Chihandae stole 16 or more guns from Gulu Barracks and defected to the bush. The likes of Drago Nyanzi and company had been armed robbers and that is why after coming into power they resumed robbing. For the first time in the history of Uganda, it is only in the NRA where a senior army officer would resort to open robbery. There was the attack on Prison facilities and release of all sorts of criminals who would automatically join the NRA and fight galantly in order to guarantee their criminal freedom. In one incident, a group of Banyankole Bairu UNLA soldiers were lured by the NRA to defect from Bombo barracks but at the last moment they were given a condition of blowing up a popular night club on Mile 21 near the Barracks as a show of comitment and to prove they were not sent to infiltrate. The night club was blown, people died, government and UNLA took the blame and the perpetrators are now senior officers in Museveni's army.
However, there is a group of people who were influenced by revolutionary struggles of Cuba and China where the masses were able to overthrow the oppressive regimes. Such people innocently believed that the situation was a result of bad governance that deserved changing. Such people have come to realise that Museveni had dupped them into believing that the struggle was a revolution. These are people like Muntu, Besigye and others but not Tinyefuza.
After enduring terrible hardships and frequent attacks, the NRA fighters became battle hardened the same way Kony's LRA have become. Despite the excesses of UPC functionaries and some elements of UNLA, the NRA never and would not have gained enough strength to defeat the UNLA and dislodge the UPC government from power. Thanks to the Okello coup of July 1985.
INFORMATION IS POWER.
After the fall of Iddi Amin, enthusiastic young men more especially the educated ones had embraced the formation of the new army. Even the less educated ones like Museveni's brother Salim Saleh were in favour of serving the new national army. That is how he was not involved in the first attack on Kabamba. A number of young lawyers like Tinyefuza and Jim Muhweezi who had joined the police voluntarily deserted their duty stations with a Landrover full of arms, linked with a few others in Kampala ready to head for the bush. They were intercepted and detained at a Police station from where they later escaped and proceeded to the bush. According to Museveni, "the government was weak" because under his current government such suspects would be held in "safe houses". Museveni's FRONASA had been well catered for in the new army structures save the Rwandese Refugees who had been legal excluded. Amama Mbabazi had been a Director of Legal Services, Fabious Byaruhanga was a Director of Transport, Sam Katabarwa was a Director of Political Education and others. A good number of pro-FRONASA cadet (westerners) graduates voluntarily abandoned the UNLA to join Museveni in the bush. Many resisted manipulation, blackmail and intimidation and refused to defect. The rejected Rwandese Tutsi refugees who had been retained by Museveni were to form the core and most loyal group of the NRA. Museveni enlisted a number of former Iddi Amin soldiers notably Tadeo Kanyankole, Italikire Kiiza, Rwamukaaga and many more whose contribution has been underplayed. He immediately sought help from Libya's Gadafi who had helped the crumbling regime of Iddi Amin less than two years earlier.
Many criminals escaping justice would find sanctuary in the NRA. Reuben Ikondere ran to the bush after stubbing someone and Pecos Kuteesa ran to the bush while escaping arrest for harrassing and extorting civilians at roadblocks. Frank Guma had been a Paymaster in the UNLA but he took off with all the soldiers' pay to join the NRA. In the NRA he was made the Chief Controller of Finance (CCF). Julius Chihandae stole 16 or more guns from Gulu Barracks and defected to the bush. The likes of Drago Nyanzi and company had been armed robbers and that is why after coming into power they resumed robbing. For the first time in the history of Uganda, it is only in the NRA where a senior army officer would resort to open robbery. There was the attack on Prison facilities and release of all sorts of criminals who would automatically join the NRA and fight galantly in order to guarantee their criminal freedom. In one incident, a group of Banyankole Bairu UNLA soldiers were lured by the NRA to defect from Bombo barracks but at the last moment they were given a condition of blowing up a popular night club on Mile 21 near the Barracks as a show of comitment and to prove they were not sent to infiltrate. The night club was blown, people died, government and UNLA took the blame and the perpetrators are now senior officers in Museveni's army.
However, there is a group of people who were influenced by revolutionary struggles of Cuba and China where the masses were able to overthrow the oppressive regimes. Such people innocently believed that the situation was a result of bad governance that deserved changing. Such people have come to realise that Museveni had dupped them into believing that the struggle was a revolution. These are people like Muntu, Besigye and others but not Tinyefuza.
After enduring terrible hardships and frequent attacks, the NRA fighters became battle hardened the same way Kony's LRA have become. Despite the excesses of UPC functionaries and some elements of UNLA, the NRA never and would not have gained enough strength to defeat the UNLA and dislodge the UPC government from power. Thanks to the Okello coup of July 1985.
INFORMATION IS POWER.
*A positive mind is a courageous mind, without doubts and fears, using the experience and wisdom to give the best of him/herself.
We must dare invent the future!
The only way of limiting the usurpation of power by
individuals, the military or otherwise, is to put the people in charge - Capt. Thomas. Sankara {RIP} '1949-1987
*"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent
revolution inevitable"**… *J.F Kennedy
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