1985 Ugandan coup d'état

Following the overthrow of dictator Idi Amin by the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) and the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) rebel coalition,^[3] a new government led by President Yusuf Lule was formed by the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) and the Tanzanians.^[4] However, the UNLF government proved to be weak and unstable, and quickly became embroiled in a series of crises. As he tried to exert his power, Lule was removed from office by the UNLF's powerful National Consultative Committee on 20 June 1979.^[5] His successor, Godfrey Binaisa, was also deposed in May 1980, whereupon the UNLF's Military Commission assumed control of Uganda.^[6][7] Meanwhile, remnants of Amin's Uganda Army launched an insurgency in the north, starting a civil war which became known as the "Ugandan Bush War".^[6] Even as violent unrest spread, the Military Commission was supposed to oversee the 1980 elections. Four parties participated in the elections, namely the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), the Conservative Party, and the Democratic Party. UPC candidate Milton Obote, who previously governed the country from 1966 to 1971 before being deposed by Amin, won with 40% of the votes. However, UPM candidate Yoweri Museveni disputed the results, claiming the elections were rigged and influenced by Tanzania to reinstate Obote.^[6]

Consequently, Museveni formed the Popular Resistance Army (PRA) insurgent group and entered the Bush War. Other political factions also rebelled over the election results.^[6] Eventually, the PRA merged with another rebel group and formed the National Resistance Movement (NRM), whose armed wing was dubbed the National Resistance Army (NRA).^[8] The NRA was primarily composed of members of the country's southern tribes who opposed President Obote's rule, including from the Nkole and Kigezi.^[9][10]

The newly elected Obote administration, inheriting an ineffective military due to the disintegration of Amin's army during the liberation war, sought to rectify this by allocating much of the national budget to the military. As a result, the Ministry of Defense consistently had the highest estimated expenditure compared to the other ministries throughout Obote's tenure. Due to the ongoing insurgencies, the government depended greatly upon the military for counteraction, leading to a constant military presence. This dashed hopes that following Amin's overthrow, the military's sway in Ugandan politics would be diminished.^[10]

The Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) after Amin's regime saw the disproportionate representation of soldiers from the Acholi, Lango, and Ankole as many western Uganda soldiers left to join Museveni's insurgency, making the UNLA become dominated by the northerners.^[10] Following the death of General Oyite Ojok in December 1982,^[11] a unifying figure within the army, ethnic tensions escalated, particularly between the Acholi and Lango tribes.^[12] Discontent within Acholi ranks, which had already been simmering due to perceived marginalization and unfair treatment, were further fueled when Obote appointed a Lango as General Ojok's successor, Brigadier Smith Opon Acak, which also angered the Acholi-dominated officer corps.^[11][12] His attempts to quell dissent among the officers, including surveillance and formation of a predominantly Langi paramilitary force, proved ineffective and only served to exacerbate tensions.^[12]

Though the UNLA gradually managed to contain or defeat several rebel groups around the country,^[13][14] the NRA continued to pose a significant issue. In an attempt to finally defeat the group, the UNLA high command ordered Lieutenant Colonel John Charles Ogole to oversee anti-NRA operations. Ogole was a veteran officer who had led successful counter-insurgency operations against other groups,^[15][16] and his "Special Brigade" was regarded as one of the most effective units of the UNLA.^[17][15] Ogole achieved some success,^[16] but was ultimately unable to eliminate the NRA.^[15]

On 21 June 1985, two battalions of UNLA's Special Brigade, led by Eric Odwar and Joseph Kiyengo, were ambushed and defeated by the NRA's Mobile Brigade in the Battle of Kembogo.^[18] Odwar termed the clash a "catastrophe";^[19] historians Tom Cooper and Adrien Fontanellaz argued that the Special Brigade's defeat "delivered a massive psychological blow to the entire UNLA".^[15] In the same month, the NRA won another victory in the smaller Battle of Rubona.^[20][21] These setbacks demoralized the UNLA's troops, especially the Acholi soldiers who felt that they were suffering heavy losses for no gains. The military became increasingly critical of Obote's leadership.^[15][22]

The unrest started to escalate soon after the Battle of Kembogo, as UNLA units mutinied in Jinja and Mbuya.^[15][23]