The Uganda–Tanzania War, the fall of Idi Amin, and the failure of African diplomacy, 1978–1979

Abstract

The Uganda–Tanzania War of 1978–1979 has received little attention from historians. This article uses British diplomatic sources to explore the causes and course of the conflict. In particular, it examines how Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere sought to hide from and later justify to the rest of the world an invasion of Uganda and the overthrowing of Idi Amin, actions that contravened the Charter of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Distinct among contemporaneous African conflicts for its noticeable lack of a Cold War context, the war demonstrated the shortcomings of the OAU in resolving African conflicts. Despite some dissenting voices, Nyerere's own disregard for state sovereignty was largely overlooked, as the fall of Amin's regime was quietly welcomed by the majority of Africa's leaders.

Keywords:

• Uganda
• Tanzania
• war
• Idi Amin
• Julius Nyerere
• OAU

Acknowledgement

This work was funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Scholarship.

Notes

1. The best existing accounts of the war are Prunier, “Tanzania's Ambiguous Ugandan Victory”; Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda; and Wheeler, Saving Strangers. Avirgan and Honey were American journalists who accompanied the Tanzanian forces in the latter stages of the conflict and who subsequently pieced together an account based on hundreds of interviews with mainly Tanzanian soldiers and officials. In addition to their apparently personal relationship with Nyerere himself, this approach gives their text a tendentious feel, and must be treated with caution.

2. Branch, Kenya, 20.

3. Ellis, “Writing Histories,” 14.

4. Daily News, July 25, 1975, quoted in Africa Research Bulletin 12, no. 7 (1975): 3683.

5. Khadiagala, “Uganda's Domestic and Regional Security,” 236–7.

6. Hansen, “Uganda in the 1970s,” 97–98; Jørgensen, Uganda, 285–303.

7. Jørgensen, Uganda, 279.

8. Jørgensen, Uganda, 292; Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 5–6.

9. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 8; see also Hansen, “Uganda in the 1970s,” 85–7.

10. Jørgensen, Uganda, 279.

11. Amnesty International Report 1979, 38.

12. Jørgensen, Uganda, 313.

13. Ocitti, Political Evolution, 229–32.

14. Rosling to Munro, October 30, 1978, United Kingdom National Archives, Kew (hereafter UKNA), FCO 31/2397/6; Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–1979, B424–6; Ocitti, Political Evolution, 235–8; Prunier, “Tanzania's Ambiguous Ugandan Victory,” 738–9; Omara-Otunnu, Politics and the Military, 140.

15. Rosling to Munro, October 30, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2397/6.

16. “Who Can Replace Amin?”

17. Watts to Rosling, December 14, 1978, UKNA FCO 96/789/52.

18. Carruthers to Munro, December 7, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/192.

19. “The Tanzania-Uganda Boundary,” November 1, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2398/25; Austen, “Colonial Boundaries.”

20. Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–1979, B393–4.

21. Munro to Graham, October 31, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2397/19.

22. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 63–4.

23. Africa Contemporary Record 1978–1979, B395.

24. Moon to FCO, October 31, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2397/16; Hinchcliffe to Rosling, February 27, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/73.

25. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 71.

26. Moon to FCO, November 8, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2399/102.

27. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 71.

28. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, ix, 71.

29. Records held at the Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Berlin, reveal that the rate of retention in diplomatic despatches regarding the war in the West German archives is relatively low. The originals of West German documents sent to the FCO and duplicated in the UKNA files are in many cases not found in the West German files.

30. Curtis, Unpeople. For rumours of British involvement in the coup, see Hutton and Bloch, “How the West Established.”

31. Mamdani, Imperialism and Fascism, 81–2; Furley, “Britain and Uganda.”

32. Roberts, “British Government and Uganda.”

33. Munro to Graham, November 7, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2399/95.

34. Wall to Jackling, November 3, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2398/60; Munro to Moon, November 3, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2399/73.

35. Roberts, “British Government and Uganda,” 42–6.

36. Mamdani, Imperialism and Fascism, 107.

37. CIA, “Economic and Military Aid.”

38. Hennessy to Ewans, July 2, 1974, UKNA FCO 31/1777/12; Hillenbrand to Department of State, September 10, 1975, Foreign Relations of the United States, vol. E-6, doc. 252.

39. Owen to many, November 3, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2398/62.

40. Band to Broucher, November 15, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2400/135.

41. “Lessons of a Bush War,” New York Times, November 15, 1978, A28.

42. “Amin's Invasion,” Washington Post, November 7, 1978, A18.

43. Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–1979, B394; Band to Broucher, November 15, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2400/135.

44. Moon to FCO, November 2, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2398/46.

45. Moon to FCO, November 4, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2399/74.

46. Fingland to FCO, November 1, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2398/27.

47. Day to FCO, November 7, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2399/104.

48. Eldon to Longrigg, November 21, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/165.

49. Quoted in Moon to FCO, November 8, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2399/108.

50. Quoted in Moon to FCO, November 13, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2400/118.

51. Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–1979, B394.

52. Munro to Graham, November 6, 1878, UKNA FCO 31/2399/88.

53. Eldon to Longrigg, November 21, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/165; Moon to FCO, November 15, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2400/129.

54. Moon to FCO, November 20, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2400/150.

55. Munro to Mansfield, November 27, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/172.

56. Eldon to Longrigg, November 21, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/165.

57. Quoted in Moon to FCO, November 19, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2400/146.

58. Moon to FCO, November 28, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/171; Munro to Day, November 28, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/173; Moon to FCO, November 30, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/186; Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–1979, B247.

59. Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–1979, B425.

60. van Walraven, Dreams of Power, 375–6.

61. Carden to FCO, November 21, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2400/162.

62. Moon to FCO, December 11, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/195.

63. Carruthers to FCO, December 7, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2401/192.

64. Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–1979, B394.

65. Powell-Jones to FCO, November 6, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2400/90.

66. Quoted in Moon to FCO, November 14, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2400/120.

67. Lewen to FCO, November 13, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2399/114.

68. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 69–70.

69. Amin to Waldheim, January 26, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/30.

70. Amin to Waldheim, February 12, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/44.

71. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 78.

72. Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–1979, B433.

73. Moon to FCO, January 12, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/12.

74. David to Gallagher, January 19, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/17.

75. Moon to FCO, January 25, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/22; Fingland to FCO, January 26, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/24.

76. Eldon to Longrigg, February 27, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/75.

77. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 85; David to Gallagher, February 27, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/74.

78. Hinchcliffe to FCO, February 26, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/67.

79. Quoted in Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 1, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/79.

80. Fingland to FCO, February 22, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/54; Fingland to FCO, February 23, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/60.

81. Le Breton to Rosling, March 1, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/89.

82. Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 5, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/90. Avirgan and Honey claim this was a genuine excuse given by one OAU official, War in Uganda, 83–4.

83. Le Breton to Rosling, March 12, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2683/133.

84. Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 27, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2684/148; Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 28, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2684/173.

85. Hinchcliffe to FCO, February 22, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/59.

86. David to Gallagher, March 2, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/99.

87. On the Moshi Conference, see Africa Contemporary Record 1978–1979, B434–5; Africa Contemporary Record, 1979–1980, B347–9; Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 96–119. On the various Ugandan exile groups, see “Who Can Replace Amin?”

88. Melady and Melady, Idi Amin Dada; Peterson and Taylor, “Rethinking the State.”

89. Hinchcliffe to Rosling, June 9, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2369/31.

90. van Walraven, Dreams of Power, 58.

91. Quoted in Moon to FCO, November 3, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2398/55.

92. “Amin's Invasion,” Washington Post, November 7, 1978, A18.

93. Fingland to FCO, February 22, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/60.

94. Quoted in Africa Contemporary Record, 1978–1979, B430.

95. Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 28, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2684/158.

96. Moon to FCO, October 31, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2397/16.

97. Moon to FCO, November 3, 1978, UKNA FCO 31/2399/69.

98. Hinchcliffe to Rosling, February 27, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/73.

99. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 96, 99–105.

100. Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 11, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2682/107; Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 19, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2683/126; Fingland to FCO, March 26, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2684/147; Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 29, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2684/165.

101. Fingland to Robson, April 4, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2685/219.

102. Africa Contemporary Record, 1979–1980, A61–2.

103. Fingland to FCO, April 3, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2685/201.

104. Quoted in Africa Contemporary Record, 1979–1980, A62.

105. Quoted in Africa Contemporary Record, 1979–1980, A62.

106. Quoted in Africa Contemporary Record, 1979–1980, A70.

107. Quoted in Africa Contemporary Record, 1979–1980, A60.

108. Quoted in Africa Contemporary Record, 1979–1980, B395.

109. Quoted in Ivan Smith, Ghosts of Kampala, 181.

110. van Walraven, Dreams of Power, 283.

111. Le Breton to Robson, March 12, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2683/133.

112. Fingland to FCO, February 27, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2681/70.

113. Africa Contemporary Record, 1979–1980, A62.

114. Richard to FCO, February 15, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2680/46.

115. Fort to Rosling, March 30, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2685/188.

116. Rosling to Robson, March 29, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2684/162.

117. Fort to Rosling, April 3, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2685/211.

118. Acheson-Brown, “Tanzanian Invasion”; Thomas, New States. For a more balanced assessment, see Wheeler, Saving Strangers.

119. Moyn, Last Utopia, 110–1.

120. Wheeler, Saving Strangers, 118.

121. Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 11, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2682/107; Hinchcliffe to FCO, March 11, 1979, UKNA FCO 31/2682/108; Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 86.

122. Tanzania and the War.

123. Wheeler, Saving Strangers, 123.

124. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 196.

125. Hansen, “Uganda in the 1970s,” 99.

126. Avirgan and Honey, War in Uganda, 196.