117:

national liberation therefore,Tanzania has been working closely with the

various liberation movements in the context of the O.A.U.and more recently,
particularly aftcr 1974,as a Frontline state to provide both diplomatic and
material support.

Tanzania's Position on the O.A.U.'s Role during the

Uganda-Tanzania War
This subject needs a special treatment in this chapter for the simple reason that
the war of aggression by Uganda against Tanzania challenged the fundamental
principles governing the O.A.U.Tanzania called upon the Organization to
defend its charter.The crisis leading to the war dates back to the overthrow of
President Milton Obote by General Iddi Amin in 1971.31 Tanzania,from the
very outset,refused to recognize Amin's regime on the grounds that it was anti-
revolutionary,particularly in the context of Africa's liberation struggle.Large
numbers of anti-Amin elements fled to Tanzania as political refugees because
Amin's regime bccame more and more repressive.While in Tanzania they.
began to organize themselves with a view of ultimately overthrowing
Amin's regime.This situation increased tensions between the two countries
with frequent accusations by Amin to the effect that Tanzania was preparing to
n
O 1Uganda,overthrow
invade 4J ul 9 hissent
regimete andt reinstate
Pre Obote. w w s
7 l gar id
Cha inrma no t e .AmUin,accus ng nzan aan atmSbi adoBfair en ng o
。

support an invasion of Uganda by ex-President Obote's supporters.Amin

further warned that if Uganda were forced to invade Tanzania in order to
repulse such an invasion,it would retain any territories captured and would
not entertain any mediation attempts by a third country.S2 Tanzania and
Zambia issued statements denying the allegations.Tanzania,moreover,
emphasized that it was adhering to the Mogadishu accord of 1972 under which
it was agreed that Tanzania and Uganda were to withdraw troops from their
borders.As we have noted above,however,Tanzania did not like Amin's
regime,and was ready to use all legitimate means within the O.A.U.to
discredit it.51
Amin's 1974 claims were repeated over the years culminating in the 1978
invasion of Tanzania.It had been suggested by Tanzania that these claims were
fabricated in order to “externalize”internal problems relative to a growing
opposition to his regime.Tanzania had rejected similar claims,in 1971 and
1972 when Amin charged that she had supported Obote's men in Tanzania,
Sudan and Somalia in a bid to overthow his regime,However,David Martin
has maintained that Amin's claims were trueS⁴,and in his impromptu speeches
to the Daily Nation during the war(October 1978 to April 1979),Mwalimu
Nyerere admitted that he had closed his eyes'to the 1972 abortive invasion
of Uganda by Obote supporters.He however maintained that this was the
only occasion he had knowingly given a blessing to an attempt to overthrow
Amin, and this was due to Amin's incessant threats to invade the country with
the aim of annexing the Kagera Salient and the Port of Tanga.SS Since the
1971-72 impasse between Tanzania and Uganda is a key to the
understanding of the 1978-79 war,we shall explore its main dimensions
briefly
Military clashes in Mutukula in 1971 led to an ultimatum issued by Amin
on 24 October 1971 demanding removal of Tanzania's troops and
civilian
118

population from the territory between the Kagera River and the Tanzania-
Uganda border(totalling about 90 square miles)or else face large scale-
military action from Uganda.Tanzanid refused to comply-and declared that
she was ready to defend her territorial integrity.She further argued that the
O.A.U,Charter required the O.A.U.to intervene on Tanzania's side.Amin
contihued to threaten and ultimately bombed Mwanza and Bukoba in north-
western Tanzania.This crisis was mediated by the late:President Jomo
Kenyatta of Kenya after the O.A.U.had failed to intervene.
The crisis between Tanzania and Uganda intensified as internal opposition
buld up against Amin.On the morning of 17 September 1972 fighting broke
out in South-West Uganda between supporters and opponents of
Amin.He announced that Tanzania had invaded Uganda,and Tanzania
denied the
alleganon.so Tanzania calied upon he OAU.to Verfy her claims concerming
the bom bings inflicted upon her by U andan planes on l8 September
07

19/Zand made itdlear that any further aggrestion would not be

tolerated.The O.A.U.
kept silentron all these.events ٠ ٠،٠٦٤٠ ٠٦ ٦ ‫ ؟‬٠٩ ٦٠:١٠٦ ٩٦ ٠ ٠ ٠ ،٦٠ ٠ ٠ . 1 二
L-e=
،;- ، ' 2 . :،‫ﺭ‬ ٤_
‫ﺝ‬ ‫؛‬٠ : :- t
4-

On 22 September 1972,Amin's troops bombed Mwanza killing two ّ

people
٠ ، _
:‫ﺀ ﺝ‬ ٦ ‫ ﺏە‬٠٠ - ;
، ، ':‫ﯾﻐﺪ‬ ٦

t
and injuring 20 others.Media i on this tine was done by Somalia.This led toand
*+
3

injuring.20 the famous Mogadishu agreement of.5 October 197257The Mogadishu

23:13

agreement however,n either questioned the legitimacy of Amins regime nor

atociues it inincted on tne popuiatiorn
, olto
528* 27

1 3-
G ontne:non
*A
C-

Ianzania signed the agreeme nt because She was not prepared for war.Ihus
: 分

even as early as 1972 Tanz ania had become critical of the O:A:U"s role in her
A5

relations with Uganda on two issues,namely its failure to intervene effectively

to resolve the cnsis and its apparent condoning of the brutalities of Amin's
2 1#

regime inside Uganda.Tanzania,therefore,continued to argue that the

Charter's
insistence on non-interference in internal affairs of a member s t ate needed 4 =;Q :1

to be reviewed to avoid the embarrassing situation of condoning injustices

and violation of basic human rights.
Diplomatic tension began building up within the
O.A.U.circles,particularly after the organization had accepted an offer by
Uganda to host the 1975 0.A.U.summit.According to the
O.A.U.tradition,the head of state of the host country automatically
becomes the Chairman of the O.A.U.for the next one year.Thus Amin
worked hard to ensure success of Uganda's request to host the
summit.Knowing that Tanzania would oppose the move,he tried to.
intimidate her by threatening,in May 1975,just before the summit,to destroy
Tanzania if Nyerere succeeded in preventing the proposed assembly of the
heads of states from being held in Kampala.58 With the holding of the summit
conference in Uganda and the subsequent election of Amin as Chairman of the
0.A.U.for a period of one year,Amin achieved temporary diplomatic and
political success.But relations with Tanzania continued to decline culminating
in the invasion of Tanzania in-October 1978.

The October 1978 Military Invasion and Occupation

On 30 October 1978 Amin's troops occupied about 90 square miles of territory
of South of the Uganda-Tanzaniu border north of the Kagera.The
consequences of this occupation were devastating.About 40,000 people of
the estimated 50,000 living in the area escaped to the south of the
river,while about 5,000 were most likely-massacred. At the diplomatic
level.Tanzania condemned the
action and called upon the O.A.U.and world to do the same.The
O.A.U,did not condemn the invasion despite Tanzania's repeated
appeals.Only a few
members of the O.A.U.,particularly Algeria,Mozambique,Zambia and
Ethiopia condemned the aggression unequivocally.As in all the previous
conflicts between Tanzania and Uganda,O.A.U,dragged its feet,insisting on
its established principles and procedures which had never allowed it to
condemn a member state no matter how the latter had come into being or how
it was running its internal and external affairs.This conflict and the demands
which Tanzania made to the O.A.U.created a dangerous situation that F=

threatened the cohesion of:the organization

Under these conditions,the Chairmen of the O.A.U,President Numeiri of
Sudan,found it necessary to make visits to Tanzania,Zambia and Kenya inan
attempt to mediate.He visited Dar es Salaam on 6 December 1978,but the
yisit did not help in resolving the crisis.In February.1979.a delegation from
A,yF 下

the O.A.U.s ad hoc Committee on Inter-state conflict began attempts to settle

the contlict.The committee visited both Tanzania and Uganda.In Uganda,it
found Amin ready to negotiate,but Tanzania insisted that Amin's aggression
had,to be condemned.Tanzania's position.was adeguately summarized by
Pyssident Nyeraie When the O.A.y.imision vied Tinzan.He sid
T r
Amin hasused his arnny to commit aggression against
Tanzania,Africa must recognize this for what it,is:aggression
AlI African countries must condemn this aggression.59
35 ?4
2中

5 沪 4

Further reiterating Tanzania's position to the O.A.U.ad hoc.Committee,

Nyerere enumerated the following demands by Tanzania.First,the O.A.U
must condemn the aggression committed by Amin against Tanzania.Second,

Amin must renoune the erfiora clam on Tanang hch hemadei 197t
and effected in October 1978.Third,Amin must pledge to pay compensation
for the wanton destruction that his troops caused in Tanzania during the
aggression and occupation of the Kagera Salient.And fourth,Amin must desist
forthwith and pledge never again to use Tanzania as a scapegoat for his
internal problems.60 The O.A.U.Secretary-General's report on the conflict
however,avoided any commitment that might imply a recommendation that
the O.A.U,condemn Amin as an aggressor or that it support Tanzania's
demands against Amin.The report simply noted that Ugandan forces invaded
Tanzania and later withdrew.Tanzania reacted strongly to this,considering it

a misrepresentation'of the facts.The Minister for Foreign Affairs,Mr.Ben

Mkapa,argued against equating:Uganda -the aggressor-and Tanzania.-th
aggressed -a position which the O.A.U.took in this crisis.6!Having seen
that adherence to an out-dated and ill-interpreted O.A.U,charter was not
going to
olve the problem,Tanzania decided to take unilateral action to meet
Amin? challenge
Tanzania's treatment of the crisis and war with Uganda challenged th
0.A.U.s fundamental principles and exposed its basic weaknesses pointing to
i strong case for amending the O.A.U.Charter.Tanzania's stand against the
organization's blanket recognition and respect of member states has providec
new insights into some of the ways in which the O.A.U.must modify its stanc
n order to make it an effective force against injustices -whether committec
oy white or black regimes in Africa -and promote the struggle for
liberatioi against imperialist domination
 120

Conclusion
This chapter has analyzed Tanzania's position in the O.A.U.,by describing the
different diplomatic positions which Tanzania has taken in her struggle to
build African unity both before the formation of the O.A.U:and during its
carly years.Throughout its existence,the Organization has gone through many
difficult problems which at times threatened its disintegration. Despite all this,
it has survived.Throughout these years,Tanzania worked tirelessly to ensure
that the O.A.U.survived.Even where Tanzania's national interests were
involved and the O.A.U.displayed a total lack of sympathy for her position,
she did not work towards the demise of the organization.Under these difficuIt
conditions of national dilemma,Tanzania appealed for stronger O.A:U and
lamented that the organization had betrayed the people of Africa by hiding
behind the legalistic principles of the charter and thereby sacrificing
findameiialprnciples of morality and human dignt
It is probably too early to predict the outcome of Tanzania's radical
interpretation of the role of the O.A.U.in inter-state relations and the African
Revolution.It would appear,however,that Tanzania's existence has created a
climate in favour of reviewing the charter,especially the non-interference?
clause.This new climate was evident,for example,at the 1979-summitm
Monrovia where for the first time,African dictatorial regimes (under black
rulers)were condemined along with the white racist regimes in Southern Africa
However,whether or not Tanzania's view of the O.A.U:prevails,itis clear that
the organization has certain basic problems which will need correctingifit is to
fulfl its mandate of ensuring unity to the continent and furthering the course
of-African liberation.

NOTES 学

1.See-Article I of the O.A.U.Charter.

2.See Article II of the O.A.U.Charter.
3.Before the formation of the O.A.U.,two contending groups existed in.Africa and
differed in their approach.to African unity.They were the Casablanca group led by:
the radical ideology of Ghana and Monrovia group led by the moderate ideology
of .Nigeria.
4.See Nyerere,“A United States of Africa”,article published in the Joumal of Modem
African Studies,January 1963,also in Freedom and.Unity,p.190.
5.Ibid,p.193-194.
6.President.Nyerere had to defend Tanzania's stand on the Rhodesian issue in
“Principles and Development”(in Freedom and Socialism)after he was challenged
that the political position Tanzania'took was hindering economic development.
7.The delegations were Tanzania,Guinea,Mali,Egypt,Zambia,Algeria,Somalia and
Kenya,
8:See the Statement by the United Republic of Tanzania.See Appendix B(for staying
away from Kampala Summit),25 July 1979.
9.See Nyerere,Freedom and Unily,p.302.
10.K.Mathews,“The Organization of African Unity”,in India Quarterly,New Deihi,
July-September 1977.
11.J.K.Nyerere,"The Nigeria-Biafra Crisis"also published in The Standard.Tanzania,
.September 4,1969.See Appendix.
:12.See “The Organization of Afncan Unity and the Freedom Struggle”,a-paper
prepared by the United Republic of Tanzania,Addis Ababa,June 1971 and
published in The Standard,June 22,1971.It is important to note here that the
target
Tanzania and the War Against Amins
Uganda*

e
: ;
2

点
w ?
A

X:

Ihe between Ianzania Idi:Amin's regime in Uganda was caused by the

Ugandan Army's agression against Tanzania and ldi Amin's claim to have
annexed part of Tanzanian territory.There was no other cause for it.
Tanzania has never concealed its-intense dislike for the regime in
Uganda headed by Idi Amin.He came to power by coup deiat in January
1971 while his President was in Singapore playing a leading role in the
opposition to the then British government's proposal to sell arms to
South Africa.Among Amin's first statement upon seizing power was a
withdrawal of Uganda's opposition to that proposal.The fact that he later
changed his stand on this - as on his support for Israel's occupation of Arab
territories-does not wipe out history.
The first reason for Tanzania's dislike of Amin was soon overtaken by
the even greater reason of his mass killings inside Uganda.For eight
years,kilings on a tribal basis were paralleled by,the killing of educated
people,of anyone tihought to be a potentiai danger to his power,and of anyone
who had property -even a good pair of shoes -wanted by his
henchmen.Uganda under Amin's rule became notorious throughout the
world.The exact numbers killed will never be known,but certainly amount
to several hündreds of thousands of people-some estimates are as high as a
half million.Documentary evidence about the deliberate organisation of the
torture and the killing,and about the personal involvement of Idi
Amin,has only become available since the fall of the tyrant;but the actions
of his various "security"forces were attested to by the refugees who
flooded into neighbouring countries -including Tanzania- and by
independent journalists,businessmen,and statespen,some of whom had gone
to Uganda sympathetic to the coup d'etat.
Tanzania publicly protested about these crimes against Africa and Africans:
*Full text of the Tanzanian Blue Book on the War Against Amins Uganda,released in
Monrovia,Liberia,!7 July 1979.
306
It opposed the holding of the O.A.U.summit in Kampala in 1975 on
the grounds that the organization would be giving respectability to an
abominable regime.But Tanzania took no unilateral action against the
Amin regime.It abided by the O.A.U.Charter relating to"non-interference
in the internal affairs of independent African states."Tanzanian policy was
that steps must be taken by our organization to protect Africans from
African oppression,but that in the meantime no independent state had the
right to act as Africa's policeman;
Tanzania therefore co-cxisted with Amin's Uganda for eight years,and
continucd to have official relations with it,both bilaterally and through
the East African Community until this collapsed in 1977.President
Nyerere received ministerial delegations sent to him by Idi Amin on more
than one occasion.The Vice-President of the United Republic visited
Uganda three times in an endeavour to demonstrate Tanzania's willingness
to have correct bilateral relations with Uganda.Throughout the whole
eights year period al ee the mi
mini ters a nd of fic i soft tw o c ountrie sm et .In d d, nisters f rom the
tw o cou ntries wh o were respons ible for tr ansport an d communica tions wer
scheduled to start a series of meetings when Amin ordered his troops to
Tanzania.
The fact is that,in the interests of peace in East Africa,Tanzania's
toleration of Amins antics sometimes verged on the ridiculous:In 1973.for
exampie, Amin invited himself to Mwanza in Tanzania when a meeting was
being held there between Presidents Mobutu,Kaunda and Nyerere.Amin
was well received President Nyerere went to the airport to receive him-
and treated with great courtesy,yet Mwanza had been bombed by his
aircraft only the previous year and there had been neither apology nor
compensation for damage and injuries caused on that occasion.

The Provocations of Amin

Tanzania's restraint in its relations with Amin was maintained despite
continuous and extreme provocations.
Whenever Amin was in internal difficulties through the people's attempts to
resist his murderous tyranny,he accused Tanzania of.subversion,or of
preparing to invade his country.Whenever he had large numbers af dead
soldiers to account for after one of the numerous mutinies or deliberate
massacres of soldiers from particular tribal groups,he accused Tanzania of
having invaded his country.
.The occasions on which this happened are too numerous to list in full;not all
of his allegations received international attention outside Tanzania.However,
allegations that Tanzania was "preparing to invade"were reported in British
newspapers in February 1971,March 1973,August 1975,and February 1977.
And just before the O.A.U.meeting in Khartoum in 1978,Amin announced
again that Tanzania was preparing to invade Uganda.Allegations that
Tanzania had actually invaded Uganda were reported in the world press in
July 1971,July 1974,September 1975,and early in October 1978.In addition,
Idi Amin made internationally reported threats against Tanzania in April and
August 1972,and in March 1975.
All these allegations were lies,and no evidence was ever produced in support
of them.
 307

Amin did not stop at words.In August 1971 his troops entered Tanzania and
were met by a Police Field Force Unit.One Tanzanian police officer of mixed
European and African descent was injured and captured by Amin's troops;he
was taken into Uganda and murdered;his body was later displayed to
diplomats and press as being that of a "Chinese colonel"leading a Tanzanian
attack.Two months later Amin's planes attackedand severely damaged a
saw-mill in West Lake Region.In 1972,in apparent "retaliation"against.the
pro-Obote attempt to overthrow his regime,Amin's planes bombed Bukoba
and Mwanza-each of which is the regional headquarters of its area.Tanzania
air space was violated on a number of other occasions.
Not content with these actions,Idi.Amin laid claim to the whole area of
Tanzania north of the Kagera River a number of times,starting from October
1971.In the same year he visited both Isracland Great Britain in an attempt
to get arms in order to attack Tanzania.It is important to note that before
Amin seized power there was no border dispute between the two countries,and
no
history of claims or counter-claims on each other's territory.The boundary
between the two countries was first demarcated by the colonialists in the
last century,is well known,and was -until Amin -always respected,by the
authorities of both states.
Sometimes Amin's claims to territory became grandiose and fantastic.Thus
"Amin demanded a corridor of territory for his land-locked state across
Tanzania to and including the port of Tanga on the Indian Ocean.Ai other
times he laid claim to parts of Kenya,Sudan,Rwanda,Burundi and Zaire.He
began to style himself not just the Conqueror of the British Empire,but more
sinisterly,King of Africa.He even began to teach his troops to regard him
as such,and emblazoned their T-shirts with his picture under the
inscription
“ King of Africa”
And last but not ieast,Tanzanians legally living in or visiting Uganda,either
as students at the University as part of an inherited exchange programme or as
employees of the East African Community,were abducted from their hotels or
residences and killed by Amin's security forces.In May 1973 Amin accepted
responsibility for the death of twenty four such Tanzanians;this did not stop
a recurrence of such attacks in 1974 and on a number of later occasions.

Tanzania's Reaction to the Provocations

Tanzania reacted with almost incredible restraint to all-these provocations.

From the time of his coup Tanzania accepted and gave hospitality to
thousands of refugees from Amin's Uganda;one of these refugees was the ex-
President Milton Obote who has stayed in Dar es Salaam for the whole of the
eight years-and is still living there.The government publicly criticized Amin's
racialist action in expelling Ugandan citizens of Asian descent in 1972,and
has made public its abhorrence of his mass-murders of-black Ugandans.
Tanzania has publicly protested,and drawn the matter to the attention of
the international community,when Amin has bombed Tanzanian towns.In
1971 our police unit pushed back the incursion,and a small army post
was later established south of the Kagera River.Largely due to the 1971
provocations,Tanzania closed its eyes in 1972 when anti-Amin Ugandans from
among the refugees crossed-into Uganda-in-an-endeavour to overthrow the
tyrant.When this attempt failed,Tanzania accepted the Mogadishu
:308
Agreement worked out with the help of President Barre,which required that
the troops of both nations should stay at least 10 kilometers from the common
border and that neither country should harbour or allow subversive forces to
operate against the other.In practice the nearest Tanzanian Army unit
remained at Kyaka some 30 kilometers from the border,and Ugandan refugees:
were resettled near Tabora and helped by international.agencies to grow
tobacco,Tanzania abided strictly by that agreement despite the-numerous:
occasions when Ugandan soldiers held manocuvres right up to the national
boundary,where they could be seen by Tanzanian citizens in Mutukula and
other border villages.
The verbal claims and allegations of Amin were treated with increasing
contempt as the years,went by.Usually Tanzanian authorities did not even
comment unless asked by visiting journalists,when.they were dismissed as the
nonsense they always were.Unfortunately as it turned out,the Tanzanian
government did not even react to his statements by quictly putting,its nearest
troops on the alert or by preparing contingency plans for a possibie Ugandan
invasion

Amin's.Inyasion
Early in October Amin annoucnced,once again,that Tanzania had invaded Uganda
this time it was said to be with the help of Cuban troops.when the
announement was made President Nyerere and the Army Commander were
both in Songea in the extreme south of the country during a regional tour.The
Vice-President was in hospital abroad,the Prime Minister was at Arusha and the
Minister for Defence was on a Party delegation visiting the People's Republic
of China.The Minister for Foreign Affairs,when asked in Dar es Salaam
about the allegation,just replied "Nonsense".The President used the
opportunity of a dinner given in his honour by the local Tanzania People's
Defence Force unit to deny the allegations;his remarks were issued to the
press.
Perhaps it is worth remarking that in the string of lies and allegations
issued by him from 9th October 1978,Amin was showing greater political
acumen than some of the cnitics of Tanzania.In claiming that Tanzania had
invaded Uganda,he was invoking the internationally accepted and
commonsense right of the victim of unprovoked aggression to hit back at the
aggressor.Thus,if it had been frue that Tanzania had invaded Uganda,it
would have been a commonsense right.of Uganda to punish Tanzania as an
aggressor.But "sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."Tanzania did
not invade Uganda in October 1978.Tanzania was the victim of
unprovoked invasion by Uganda.
On 28th and 29th October,Bukoba town and Kyaka were bombed by
Amin's planes.Once again Tanzania treated those bombing raids as deliberate
provocations by Amin which should not lead to a violent reaction.When,on
30th October,Amin's forces moved across the border,Tanzania was therefore
completely unprepared.His forces were able to advance to the Kagera River
without meeting resistance-the nearest T.P.D.F.company was still at Kyaka
on the south side of that river.
The Ugandan troops then proceeded deliberately to kill,pillage and destroy
throughout the 700 square miles of occupied area All food stores were
denuded,the 12,000 improved cattle from the government ranch were driven
 309
away into Uganda,the sugar mill and saw mill were destroyed.On private
houses the tin roofing was pulled off,doors and window frames stolen
where they could be removed,and all the contents of any value
looted.Primary schools,dispensaries,and churches were all deliberately
damaged or completely destroyed and their contents either destroyed or
carried off.The Kagera bridge,the only bridge across the river,was
destroyed.Even more important,many civilians were killed and some
thousands-were rounded up and taken as prisoners into Uganda.
Following upon this attack,Idi Amin boasted to the world through his press
and radio about his “25 minute victory”.He announced that a medal would be
struck for all the soldiers involved -and he named a son "Kagera"to mark
the occasion.The next day he announced that the area had been annexed
and would in future be administered as an integral part of Uganda under
military administration.Reporting all this,Uganda newspapers printed
photographs of Amin's soldiers standing over the bodies of civlians and
later,on Uganda radio,Amin gloated aboüt what he claimed were
thousands of Tanzanian bodies feeding the crocodiles in the Kagera River.
Tanzania was shocked by these events.It responded to the attack in the
only two ways possible.It appealed to the O.A.U.to condemn this act of
naked
的
aggression against Tanzania.And it began preparations for the necess
counter-attack to push Amin's troops out

The Counter-Attack
Because Tanzania was not prepared for war,and because communications in
Tanzania are abysmally bad,it took weeks to muster the necessary armed force.
for a counter attack.Further,it was necessary to move a Bailey-bridge to
the area and to make other arrangements to cross the river.In the meantime
there was shelling of the Uganda positions across the Kagera River,and
some patrols were sent across by canoe for reconnaissance purposes.
On 9th December 1978,however,President Nyerere was able to use
his Independence Day speech to the nation to announce that Tanzanian
troops
had succeeded in crossing the river and had driven the invading troops out of
Tanzania.For although Amin had announced a few days earlier to a visiting
African delegation that he had withdrawn his troops,this was merely another
of his lies.There was no big battle,because the Uganda troops had been too
busy looting to prepare their defence.But the Tanzanian-Army met Ugandan:
troops and pushed them out by force,inflicting some casualities as they did so.
Incidentally,in the course of that operation,Tanzanian troops discovered a
group of over 100 bodies of Uganda soldiers whom Amin had apparently
murdered and dumped inside Tanzania;certainly these men had not been
killed by the Tanzanian Army as there had been no fighting in that immediate
locality.
At that time the Tanzanian Army was under strict instructions not to
cross the border,and it did not do so.But Amin kept talking about“Phase
2”of his invasion and tried a new attack against Tanzania in the middle of
December. When that was repulsed the Tanzanian troops pursued the
Ugandans beyond the hills overlooking the border -and then withdrew.
On 20th January 1979 Amin attacked again,at three points along the
border.This attack also was repulsed,and the enemy was pursued across the
310
border.After more fighting,and after Amin's planes had again tricd to bomb
Bukoba,a firm decision was taken resolutely to pursue the Ugandan forces
back to the garrison towns of Masaka and Mbarara well inside Uganda and to
destroy those garrisons.At that time no decision had been made to go
further Tanzania was still asking for and cxpecting an O.A.U.condemnation of
the
aggression and therefore the possibility of a quick Tanzanian withdrawal.
In the meantime;as the Tanzanian troops advanced into Uganda they were
grected as liberators by the Ugandan people who danced in the streets;
ululated,and generally celebrated.Amin responded to news öf this reception
by threatening to kill all those who had welcomed the Tanzanians -a
horrifying threat which his record of killings made only too credible
Furthermore,at Masaka direct Libyan involvement in the.war was greatly
intensified.No public statement was made by Tanzania about this Libyan
involvement inthe fighting,and Libya denied international press reports that it

:had sent troops to Uganda.

心

The Tanzanian Attitude to Mediation by O.A.U.and Others

4A
-
Tanzania suffered from Ugandan aggression,and ldi Amin announced his
annexation of part of Tanzanian territory.The United Republic therefore
expected the O.A.U:and all member states to condemn the
Ugandan aggression.This expectation arose out of the O.A.U.Resolutions of
1964 in
which"all member states pledge themselves to respect the frontiers existing
on their achievements of national independence”,and in which it was agrced
that tthe O.A U:shall establish measures to be taken by the members of-the
organization against any state found either by the Assembly of Heads of
State and Government or by the Council of Ministers to have violated the
n
commitments oi the Charter and ortnis kesoiution..
A few African states did condemn the aggression;the majority remained
silent-presumably,waiting for the 0.A.U.to speak on behalf of all.Some
states sent delegations of"mediation"or appealed for restraint even-handedly
to the aggressor and the victim of aggression.The O.A.U.Chairman visited
both Uganda and Tanzania in December,he expressed himself as being still
uncertain about the facts of the case owing to the prior Ugandan allegation of
a Tanzanian invasion.In Tanzania he was urged to investigate and to condemn
the aggressor whoever he decided it was.It was made quite clear to him that,as
far as Tanzania was concerned,if the 0.A.U.found evidence that Tanzania
was the aggressor and Amin's invasion of Tanzania was an act of
retaliation then as chairman he Should not hesitate;to condemn
Tanzania.But there was no meeting of the O.A.U.Mediation Committee or
Council of Ministers until February 1979;by that time the counter-attack
was well under way,the war
was being fought in Uganda and Idi Amin had called for O.A.U.intervention.
Tanzania's position was consistent throughout.It argued that aggression by
one state against another must at least be condemned by the O.A.U.if our
organization is to have any effective status in preventing war between
African states.It also argued that no African state could work effectively
for peace
between:Tanzania and Uganda unless and until it had condemned the
aggression and the announcement of annexation by Uganda.And it stated
clearly to all.visitors.-as well as publicly -that Tanzania has no claim on
Ugandan territory;it stood consistently for the border as originally
 311
demarcated and inherited at Tanzania's independence.That is still
our position.
The Tanzanian conditions for an end to the fighting fell under three heads:

1.The O.A.U.should condemn the aggression against Tanzania and the

declaration of annexation of part of Tanzanian territory by Uganda
which it should declare null and void.
2.Idi.Amin should renounce all claims against Tanzanian territory.and
promise never again to make such claims
3.Idi Amin should accept responsibility for,the death,destruction and

looting by his troops inside Tanzania and should promise to

pay5 still
Tanzania compensation to Tanzania.
believes those conditions
=

t b mio th reasonable.As
were never fulfilled the war continued.
، ٠
!+ ‫ﻡ‬
re
‫ِﻭﺕ‬ ‫_ﺍﯼ‬ ‫_ﻭ‬
: ‫ ﯾﺬ‬: =C,
_

Libyan Interyention -
式 ٠٩٠ ‫ﺀﺀ‬-‫ﻑ‬ - ‫ﻛﻲ‬

Delegations from Libya were among the most persistent would-be "mediators"
who visited Tanzania.On each occasion they were well received and had an
interview with the President.Yet throughout the war Libya was supplying
arms to Idi Amin's forces and Libyan troops were fighting in the front
line from at least the beginning of February.As the Ugandan Army
disintegrated
the Libyan troops became the main Ugandan fighting force.Then on 27th
March 1979 the Libyan government sent a diplomatic ultimatum to the
Tanzanian goyemment,saying that Libya had a joint defence agreement with
Uganda and unless all Tanzanian troops were pulled out of Uganda within 24
hours "the war would spread-to Tanzanian territory".
The Tanzania government.reported this.development to the nation,but
otherwise ignored it.The war continued.The rest is history

The Fall of Amin

When Idi Amin attacked Tanzania he tore up the Mogadishu Agreement of

1972.Tanzania therefore was no longer bound by its provisions regarding
Ugan n opponents of the.Amin regime.
After the war started Ugandan volunteers were accepted into a fighting unit;
trained and armed by the Tanzanian Peoples Defence Force,and later fought
alongside the Tanzanian Army.Ex-President Obote was allowed in January to
make an appeal for an uprising against Amin.And the Ugandan exiles,who
had earlier held a preliminary meeting in Nairobi,were allowed to meet at
Moshi in Tanzania in March to try to unite the different factions.
The exiles'meeting was successful.It established a National Consultative
Council and an Executive Committee,with Professor Lule as the Chairman of
the latter.
When Kampala fell to the combined anti-Amin forces and the Tanzanian
Army,it was necessary for some Ugandan administration to be established -
Amin's regime had by then complete ly collapsed.A government formed the
Chairman of the U.N.L:F.Executive Committee,Professor Lule,was then
312

established and immediatcly recognized by -the Tanzanian government.

Responsibility for Ugandan administration was taken over by that Ugandan
government,and Tanzania immediately offered to withdraw all its troops to
behind the Tanzanian border.
President Lules government asked the Tanzanian government to allow its
troops to take part in the "mopping up"of struggling Amin troops throughout
Uganda,and to assist it for the time being in police duties while any Ugandan
Army and Policc Force were being established.Tanzania agrecd to this
rcquest,while making it clear that the bulk of Tanzanian troops would be
withdrawn at the carliest possible moment,and that Tanzania wanted all its
troops home quickly.
That arrangement has been continued under the new Ugandan government.
A.programme of troop withdrawals is now being implemented.
张定

Conclusion
Tanzania makes no apology for its success in defeating the aggressor,or for
taking the war started by Uganda into Uganda.It did not want the war.It had
co-existed with Idi Amin as the ruler of Uganda forcight years and could have
continued to do so,albeit with a consciousness of shame at the activities of this
murderer of African peoples.
When Amin began the war and Tanzania hit back,it was not the Tanzanian
aim to topple Amin from power.We only wanted to punish him.
But we make no pretense.Amin was an abominable murderer of the people
of Uganda;a turbulent menace to the peace and security of East Africa;a
standing scandal and displace to the honour of Africa;a blatant and bragging
aggressor against Tanzania.We are not sorry to be rid of him.