{UAH} LET US DISCUSS THE VIOLENCE THAT HAPPENED UNDER THE IDDI AMIN'S GOVERNMENT

Museveni Betrays FRONASA

One of his friends Black Mwesigwa was so bitter with Museveni for betraying FRONASA and not doing actual fighting when the others in FRONASA were fighting. Little did Mwesigwa know that he was dealing with a snake? The Africa Contemporary Record reviewed this abortive invasion: “There were a number of miscalculations and mistakes on Obote’s side to account for the failure of the invasion. It came at a time when a strong current of popular support was running in Amin’s favour over the impending Asian exodus…Expectations that the invasion would lead to popular uprisings were not fulfilled.” (Africa Contemporary Record, Annual Survey and Documents, 1972-73, page. B277). Obote and his supporters in Tanzania had not understood how quickly the political climate had changed since Obote was last in power.

 

They had not understood that Amin’s simple education and his public image as a jokester and simple-minded crowd pleaser resonated with the majority of Ugandans who could not relate with the academic socialist and pan-Africanist ideology of the former Obote government. Moreover the sequence of events in Uganda and the moves taken by Amin to consolidate his first wave of support had revealed this army general to be much more alert and politically savvy than people expected.

 

Museveni understood better than Obote what was going on in Uganda; hence his view that a gradual effort was what was needed to remove Amin from power. But we need to remember that Museveni also betrayed his own fighters to Amin’s army so that he could be seen to be special at predicting disaster.

 

How was FRONASA going to overcome the huge obstacle, namely Amin’s popularity?

How were they to convince enough Ugandans to start doubting Amin so they as FRONASA could achieve their goal of gaining power? In the history of Uganda this question is not explained. It is agreed that Amin was initially welcomed by huge crowds and was very popular, but within a few months, he turned against his people and began what is termed his “reign of terror”. For sure it seems people don’t care to ask as to why a leader who was enjoying such genuine support across much of the country, who traveled with only a handful of bodyguards, should turn around and begin to terrorize the very people who had so welcomed him to power and continued to support him. The only reason to explain the terror that was going on in Uganda after late 1971 was that these were acts of sabotage by anti-Amin guerrilla groups. FRONASA, operating from Tanzania as well as inside Uganda, adopted a covert method to achieve its objectives. Most of the intellectual leaders of FRONASA like Eriya Kategaya and Augustine Ruzindana, Jack Maumbe Mukhwana did not know that Museveni was carrying out violent sabotage behind their back.

 

This is a crucial part of Ugandan history known by very few people. Museveni was a plotting, far-sighted fellow. He was a non-drinker a non-smoker, and had no time for leisure. He sensed that regular political organisation and a conventional approach to politics would not work to his ends. He had to try something radically and horribly different.

What he did kept a top secret even from some of his senior commanders and political associates was to engage in covert activities that would undermine Amin’s international credibility while at the same time eliminating the challenges that Museveni would face in his quest for power. Thus the Museveni doctrine called for a process of elimination of rising to the top by bringing down those at the top. Becoming the only towering national figure by eliminating instead of competing against those who were also heavyweights. A prominent Ugandan would be kidnapped, killed, mutilated in the most grisly way and then have this act leaked to the exile community as proof that Amin was a brutal dictator.

 

With its manifesto published, FRONASA settled down into full-time guerrilla work. Some of the original members of FRONASA were Raiti Omon’gin, Yoweri Museveni, James Karambuzi, Joseph Bitwari, Severino Kahinda Otafiire, Haruna Kibuye, Zubairi Bakari, Abbas Kibazo, Victor Amanya, Samuel Kagulire Kasadha, Jack Maumbe Mukhwana, Eriya Kategaya, David Kagoro, Yoga Adhola, Fred Rubereza Nkuranga, Ahmed Sseguya, Chefe Ali, John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, Augustine Ruzindana, James Kanagwa, Abwoli Malibo, Rev. Fr. Christopher Okoth, Valeriano Rwaheru, Martin Mwesiga, William Mwesigwa a.k.a Mwesigwa Black, David Livingstone Ruhakana Rugunda. The field commander of the FRONASA military forces between 1976 and 1979 was Chefe Ali.

 

Museveni undermined the Amin government using agents he would place within the system. Recounting to the Sunday Monitor of 8 May, 2005 his experience of working for Amin, Professor Edward Rugumayo who was appointed Amin’s second minister of education in June 1971 recalled his first meeting with Museveni in Sept. 1972:

 

“Shortly before the invasion [of guerillas from Tanzania in Sept. 1972] [Ruhakana] Rugunda came to me with a person I had not known before. He introduced him to me as Museveni. I had never seen him before. We discussed a number of things. Then the next day Museveni came alone. We discussed a number of things like who was who in the army, who opposed the regime. He was interested in the army in particular.”

This was Museveni in his true form. He wanted to find out the centre of power in the army and who in the Amin government was disgruntled. And he did not want his colleague Ruhakana Rugunda to know what he was thinking and planning. This is why he came alone the second time to meet Rugumayo. Most of Museveni’s more intellectual colleagues in FRONASA were kept in the dark about what FRONASA really did. They remained convinced that it was an intellectual group resisting Amin’s rule. Had they taken the time to read Museveni’s written material, they would have realised that he was very different in outlook from them. Violence lay at the heart of his every mission.

EM         -> {   Gap   at   46  } – {Allan Barigye is a Rwandan predator}

On the 49^th Parallel          

                 Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy"
                    Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"