Amin’s former top soldier reveals why TPDF won

Amin came back to Kampala, leaving the operation to retake Masaka in my hands. By then, Lukaya was still in our control but our soldiers had looted everything they could lay their hands on, and the locals had all fled. This made us a target anytime and for that reason I decided to put my tactical headquarters in Buwama at the county office, and I ordered all soldiers to stay 500m away from the centre.PHOTO|FILE 

By Henry Lubega ,The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

• Nearly 35 years after the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) bravely defended the country and finally ousted Uganda’s Idi Amin Dada, Colonel Abdu Kisuule, a former close ally of the dictator, reveals why he and thousands of his soldiers were defeated. A few months after the 1971 coup, Ugandan troops, led by Col Kisuule, went into Tanzania to rescue their colleagues who had strayed into the country, ostensibly looking for water. Seven years later, he commanded the Ugandan troops which invaded the Kagera Salient, sparking off the 1979 liberation war.

Kampala.The main purpose of this meeting between Amin and his soldiers was to get the commanders acquainted with the territory and to get to know the way forward.

The G Branch (mainly for operations) head, A branch’s Major General Vincent Yekoko and Lt Col Nzimuri (administration), told Amin, the Commander-in-Chief, that we were not logistically ready to embark on this catastrophic mission.

It was only the notorious General Juma Ali Butabika who said as far as he was concerned, he was ready to attack Tanzania without any delay.

I was asked what I thought about the situation. I could not go against G Branch head and the staff officer who knew better what was in stock for the Uganda Army. On concluding the visit to Mutukula, Amin said no one must enter Tanzania unless the three conditions were fulfilled.

The war was to be fought on three fronts; the marine unit was to attack through Minziro Forest, Simba Unit in Mbarara was to attack through Kitagata, while the Marile mechanised Regiment and the Artillery were to move from our operational base in Kyotera. The attack was supposed to be in a way that we reach our main target at the same time.

The marines were to advance through Minziro Forest to Kasambya to Kyaka border. Marile Regiment supported with two other companies and three batteries from the artillery unit were to attack via Mutukula through the Kyaka Road.

The fourth battalion from Simba in Mbarara plus another four from Mountains of the Moon were to advance from Nyakanyansi - southern front to Kyaka Bridge.

All activities were to be properly coordinated so that all the forces on the three prongs arrive at Bumazi at the same time ready to capture the bridge and advance to Bukoba. The capture of Kyaka Bridge was very important because it is the only entry to Tanzanian territory.

However, Juma Ali Butabika was always looking for favours and cheap popularity from the Commander-in-Chief. One evening, he decided to send his body guard, who was also his brother in-law, into Tanzanian territory with the aim of taking or kidnaping a Tanzanian soldier. He was armed with a pistol and a commando knife. Butabika did this without any order from us or from the headquarters which were now in Rakai, just a kilometre away on the Kanoni Road.

Unfortunately, Butabika’s in-law was captured and killed. A flash message was signalled to the tactical headquarters in Bombo by Butabika himself who had gone to Bombo to see his family. I summoned his deputy at Marile Regiment, Captain Rumano, to my headquarters for further explanation.

I could not commit my troops because of the death of this unfortunate soldier who had been ordered into Tanzania by his brother-in-law. Butabika later that afternoon came to my office fuming and demanding that we go and attack Tanzania.

I told him: “I’m not a fool and I will not be the one to commit the nation to war because of a stupid action”. This incident did not justify any war basing on the conditions Amin had set.