Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Uganda

2009-01-03T03:28:49Z

Abey: /* People */ wikify

The '''Republic of Uganda,''' or '''Uganda,''' is a country in East Africa, bordered to the east by [[Kenya]], on the north by [[Sudan]], to the west by the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Rwanda]] on the southwest, and [[Tanzania]] to the south. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of [[Lake Victoria]], within which it shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania.

==People==
Africans of three main ethnic groups — [[Bantu]], [[Nile|Nilotic]], and [[Ham|Nilo-Hamitic]] — constitute most of the population. The Bantu are the most numerous and include the [[Baganda]], which, with 18% of the population, constitute the largest single ethnic group. Individual ethnic groups in the southwest include the Banyankole and Bahima, 10%; the Bakiga, 8%; the Banyarwanda, 6%; the Bunyoro, 3%; and the Batoro, 3%. Residents of the north, largely Nilotic, include the Langi, 6%, and the Acholi, 4%. In the northwest are the Lugbara, 4%, and the Karamojong, 2%, occupy the considerably drier, largely [[pastoral]] territory in the northeast. The Basoga, 8% and the Bagisu, 5% are among ethnic groups in the East. [[Europe]]ans, [[Asia]]ns, and [[Arabs]] make up about 1% of the population with other groups accounting for the [[remainder]].

Uganda's population is predominantly [[rural]], and its population density highest in the southern regions. Until 1972, [[Asian]]s constituted the largest nonindigenous ethnic group in Uganda. In that year, the [[E.D. Amin]] regime expelled 50,000 Asians, who had been engaged in [[trade]], [[industry]], and various [[profession]]s. In the years since Amin's overthrow in 1979, Asians have slowly returned and now number around 30,000. Other nonindigenous people in Uganda include [[Arabs]], Western [[missionary|missionaries]], [[non-governmental organization]] (NGO) [[work]]ers, [[diplomat]]s, and [[business]] people.
*Population (2007): 30.9 million
*Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 4.0%
*Ethnic groups: African 99%, European, Asian, Arab 1%
*Religions (2007): Christian 85%, Muslim 12%, other 2%
*Languages: English (official); Luganda and Swahili widely used; other Bantu and Nilotic languages
*Education: Attendance (2000; primary school enrollment, public and private): 89%. Literacy (2003): 70%
*Health: Infant mortality rate--86/1,000. Life expectancy--45.3 years

==Government==
The 1995 constitution established Uganda as a [[republic]] with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The constitution provides for an executive president, to be elected every 5 years. President [[Yoweri Museveni]], in power since 1986, was elected in 1996 and reelected in 2001 and 2006. Legislative responsibility is vested in the parliament; legislative elections were last held February 2006. There currently are 332 members of parliament, of which 79 are women. The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeals, and the [[Supreme Court]]. [[Parliament]] and the [[judiciary]] have significant amounts of independence and wield significant power.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President and Commander in Chief--[[Yoweri Kaguta Museveni]]
*Vice President--Dr. [[Gilbert Bukenya]]
*Prime Minister--[[Apollo Nsibambi]]
*Foreign Minister--[[Sam Kutesa]]
*Minister of Defense--[[Crispus Kiyonga]]
*Ambassador to the United States--[[Perezi K. Kamunanwire]]

===Political Conditions===
Since assuming power, Museveni and his government have largely put an end to the [[human rights]] abuses of earlier governments and initiated substantial economic [[liberalization]] and general [[freedom of the press]], due to economic pressures from international governments such as the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Bank]].

The [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA), which seeks to overthrow the Ugandan Government, has murdered and kidnapped civilians in the north and east since 1986. Although the LRA does not threaten the stability of the government, LRA violence at one time displaced up to 1.7 million people, creating a humanitarian catastrophe, particularly when they were forced into internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for their own protection. The [[Uganda People's Defense Force]] (UPDEF) launched "[[Operation Iron Fist]]" against LRA rebels in northern Uganda in 2002 and conducted operations against LRA sanctuaries in southern [[Sudan]] with the permission of the Sudanese Government. The Sudanese Government had previously supported the LRA.

There have been significant new developments in this conflict since January 2006. With the signing of the Sudanese "Comprehensive Peace Agreement," the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) was created. To protect this fragile peace from LRA incursions in southern Sudan, Riek Machar, a GOSS Vice President, launched efforts to broker a peace agreement between the Government of Uganda and the LRA in July 2006. Those talks are ongoing and represent the first time there has been meaningful progress in ending this conflict. As a result, many northern Ugandans are leaving the IDP camps and returning to their villages.

In 1998, Uganda deployed a sizable military force to the eastern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (D.R.C.), ostensibly to prevent attacks from Ugandan rebel groups operating there. There were widespread allegations that Ugandan military and civilian officials were involved in the illegal exploitation of Congolese natural resources. After much international pressure, Uganda withdrew its troops from the D.R.C. in June 2003. Relations with the D.R.C., however, continue to be [[frost]]y. When the LRA left southern Sudan and relocated to eastern Congo in September 2005, Museveni threatened to enter the D.R.C. and "go after" the LRA if neither Congo nor the UN peacekeepers in the region would take action. The recent peace talks have taken a lot of steam out of those threats, however, and Uganda seems focused on seeing the talks to conclusion.

===Foreign Relations===
The Ugandan Government generally seeks good relations with other nations without reference to [[ideological]] orientation.{{fact}} Relations with [[Rwanda]], [[Congo]] and [[Sudan]] have sometimes been strained because of [[security]] concerns. President Museveni has been highly active in attempts implement a peace agreement [[Burundi]] and has supported peace initiatives in Sudan and [[Somalia]].

In the past, neighbors were concerned about Uganda's relationship with [[Libya]], which had supplied military equipment and bartered [[fuel]] to Uganda. In addition to its friendly ties to Western nations, Uganda has maintained friendly ties with [[North Korea]]. Uganda's has strained relations with Sudan because of past Sudanese support for the LRA. The LRA seeks to overthrow the Uganda Government and has inflicted brutal violence on the population in northern Uganda, including rape, kidnapping, torture, and murder. In 2002 Uganda and Sudan reestablished diplomatic ties and signed a [[protocol]] permitting the UPDF to enter southern Sudan and engage the LRA. The protocol ought to be renewed periodically.

Another rebel group operating in western Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the [[Rwenzori Mountains]], the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), emerged as a threat in 1996 and wields considerable power over the local population. It has largely been defeated by the UPDF and the affected areas of western Uganda have been secured. Remnants of the ADF remain in eastern Congo.

==Defense==
The Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF)--previously the National Resistance Army--constitutes the armed forces of Uganda. Prior to 2000, U.S. military forces participated with the UPDF in training activities under the African Crisis Response Initiative. U.S. military assistance was terminated in 2000 as a result of the Ugandan incursion into the D.R.C. Following the June 2003 UPDF withdrawal of troops from the D.R.C., the U.S. restarted limited nonlethal military assistance.

==Economy==
Uganda's economy has great potential. Endowed with significant natural resources, including huge tracts of [[land]], regular [[rain]]fall, and [[mineral]] deposits, it appeared poised for rapid economic growth and development at independence. However, chronic political instability and erratic economic management produced a record of persistent economic decline that left Uganda among the world's [[poor]]est and least-developed countries.

Since assuming power in early 1986, Museveni's government has taken important steps toward economic rehabilitation. The country's infrastructure — notably its transportation and communications systems, which had been destroyed by war and neglect — is being rebuilt. Recognizing the need for increased external support, Uganda negotiated a paper policy framework with the [[IMF]] and the [[World Bank]] in 1987. It subsequently began implementing economic policies designed to restore price stability and sustainable balance of payments, improve capacity utilization, rehabilitate infrastructure, restore producer incentives through proper price policies, and improve resource mobilization and allocation in the public sector. These policies produced positive results. Inflation, which ran at 240% in 1987 and 42% in June 1992, was 5.4% for fiscal year 1995–96 and 5.1% in 2003. In 2008 it was a mere 3.2%.

Investment as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 20.3% in 2003 compared to 13.7% in 1999. Private sector investment, largely financed by private transfers from abroad, was 14.9% of GDP in 2002. Gross national savings as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 6.4% in 2003. The Ugandan Government has also worked with donor countries to reschedule or cancel substantial portions of the country's external debts.

Agricultural products supply nearly all of Uganda's foreign exchange earnings, with [[coffee]] (of which Uganda is Africa's leading producer) accounting for about 19% and [[fish]] 17% of the country's exports in 2002. Exports of non-traditional products, including apparel, hides, skins, [[vanilla]], [[vegetable]]s, [[fruit]]s, cut [[flower]]s, and [[fish]] are growing, while traditional exports [[cotton]], [[tea]], and [[tobacco]] continue to be mainstays.

Most industry is related to [[agriculture]]. The industrial sector is being rehabilitated to resume production of building and construction materials, such as [[cement]], reinforcing [[rod]]s, corrugated [[roof]]ing sheets, and [[lead]] [[paint]]. Domestically produced consumer goods include [[plastics]], [[soap]], [[cork]], [[beer]], and [[soft drink]]s.

Uganda has about 30,000 kilometers (18,750 mi.), of [[road]]s; some 2,800 kilometers (1,750 mi.) are paved. Most radiate from [[Kampala]]. The country has about 1,350 kilometers (800 mi.) of rail lines. A [[railroad]] originating at [[Mombasa]] on the [[Indian Ocean]] connects with [[Tororo]], where it branches westward to [[Jinja]], Kampala, and [[Kasese]] and northward to [[Mbale]], [[Soroti]], [[Lira]], [[Gulu]], and [[Kapwatch]], though the routes west of Kampala and north of Mbale currently are not in use. Uganda's important road and rail links to Mombasa serve its transport needs and also those of its neighbors — [[Rwanda]], [[Burundi]], and parts of the [[Congo]] and [[Sudan]]. An international [[airport]] is at [[Entebbe]] on the shores of [[Lake Victoria]], some 20 miles south of Kampala.

*[[GDP]] (nominal, 2005/2006): $9.4 [[billion]]
*[[Inflation]] rate (annual headline or CPI, 2005/2006): 6.6%
*Natural resources: [[Cobalt]], [[carbon]], [[copper]], [[tungsten]], [[tin]], and [[sodium]]
*Agriculture: Cash crops: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, [[sugarcane]], cut flowers, vanilla. Food crops: [[banana]]s, [[corn]], [[cassava]], [[potatoe]]s, [[millet]], [[pulse]]s. Livestock and fisheries: [[beef]], [[goat]], [[meat]], [[milk]], Nile [[perch]], [[tilapia]]
*Industry: processing of agricultural products (cotton [[gin]]ning, coffee [[cure|curing]]), cement production, [[light]] consumer goods, [[textile]]s
*Trade: Exports (2005/2006)--$887.5 [[million]]: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, electricity, horticultural products, vanilla, cut flowers, remittances from abroad. Major markets--[[EU]], [[Kenya]], [[South Africa]], [[U.K.]], [[U.S.]] Imports (2005/2006)--$1.99 [[billion]]: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies, [[chemical]], [[cereal]]s. Major suppliers--[[OPEC]] countries, Kenya, EU, [[India]], South Africa, U.S.
*Fiscal year: July 1 – June 30 annually

==History==
When [[Arab]] traders moved inland from their enclaves along the [[Indian Ocean]] coast of [[East Africa]] and reached the interior of Uganda in the 1830s, they found several African kingdoms with well-developed political institutions dating back several centuries. These traders were followed in the 1860s by British explorers searching for the source of the Nile River. [[Protestant]] missionaries entered the country in 1877, followed by [[Catholic]] missionaries in 1879.

In 1888, control of the emerging British "sphere of interest" in East Africa was assigned by royal charter to the Imperial [[British East Africa Company]], an arrangement strengthened in 1890 by an Anglo-German agreement confirming British dominance over Kenya and Uganda. In 1894, the Kingdom of [[Buganda]] was placed under a formal British [[protectorate]].

Britain granted internal self-government to Uganda in 1961, with the first elections held on March 1, 1961. [[Benedicto Kiwanuka]] of the [[Democratic Party]] became the first Chief Minister. Uganda maintained its [[Commonwealth]] membership. A second round of elections in April 1962 elected members to a new National Assembly. [[Milton Obote]], leader of the majority coalition in the National Assembly, became prime minister and led Uganda to formal independence on October 9, 1962.

In succeeding years, supporters of a centralized state vied with those in favor of a loose federation and a strong role for tribally-based local kingdoms. Political maneuvering climaxed in February 1966, when Prime Minister Milton Obote suspended the constitution, assumed all government powers, and removed the ceremonial president and vice president. In September 1967, a new constitution proclaimed Uganda a republic, gave the president even greater powers, and abolished the traditional kingdoms. On January 25, 1971, Obote's government was ousted in a military coup led by armed forces commander [[E.D. Amin]]. Amin declared himself president, dissolved the parliament, and amended the constitution to give himself absolute power.

E.D. Amin's 8-year rule produced economic decline, social disintegration, and massive human rights violations. The [[Acholi]] and [[Langi]] ethnic groups were particular objects of Amin's political persecution because they had supported Obote and made up a large part of the army. In 1978, the International Commission of Jurists estimated that more than 100,000 Ugandans had been murdered during Amin's reign of terror; some authorities place the figure much higher.

In October 1978, the armed forces of [[Tanzania]] repulsed an incursion of Amin's troops into Tanzanian territory. The Tanzanian force, backed by Ugandan exiles, waged a war of liberation against Amin's troops and Libyan soldiers sent to help him. On April 11, 1979, [[Kampala]] was captured, and Amin fled with his remaining forces.

After Amin's self-imposed exile, the Uganda National Liberation Front formed an interim government with [[Yusuf Lulz]] as president. This government adopted a ministerial system of administration and created a quasi-parliamentary organ known as the National Consultative Commission (NCC). The NCC and the Lulz cabinet reflected widely differing political views. In June 1979, following a dispute over the extent of presidential powers, the NCC replaced Lulz with [[Godfrey Binaisa]]. In a continuing dispute over the powers of the interim presidency, Binaisa was removed in May 1980. Thereafter, Uganda was ruled by a military commission chaired by [[Paulo Muwanga]]. December 1980 elections returned the UPC to power under the leadership of President Obote, with Muwanga serving as vice president. Under Obote, the security forces had one of the world's worst [[human rights]] records. In their efforts to stamp out an [[insurgency]] led by [[Yoweri Museveni]]'s National Resistance Army (NRA), they laid waste to a substantial section of the country, especially in the [[Luwero]] area north of [[Kampala]].

Obote ruled until July 27, 1985, when an army brigade, composed mostly of ethnic Acholi troops and commanded by Lt. Gen. Basilio Olara-Okello, took Kampala and proclaimed a military government. Obote fled to exile in Zambia. The new regime, headed by former defense force commander Gen. Tito Okello (no relation to Lt. Gen. Olara-Okello), opened negotiations with Museveni's insurgent forces and pledged to improve respect for human rights, end [[tribal]] rivalry, and conduct "free and fair" elections. In the meantime, massive human rights violations continued as the Okello government murdered civilians and ravaged the countryside in order to destroy the NRA's support.

Negotiations between the Okello government and the NRA were conducted in [[Nairobi]] in the fall of 1985, with Kenyan President [[Daniel Moi]] seeking a cease-fire and a coalition government in Uganda. Although agreeing in late 1985 to a [[cease-fire]], the NRA continued fighting, seized Kampala in late January 1986, and assumed control of the country, forcing Okello to flee north into [[Sudan]]. Museveni's forces organized a government with Museveni as president and dominated by the political grouping called the National Resistance Movement (NRM or the "Movement").

A referendum was held in March 2000 on whether Uganda should retain the Movement system, with limited operation of political parties, or adopt multi-party politics. Although 70% of voters endorsed retention of the Movement system, the referendum was widely criticized for low voter turnout and unfair restrictions on Movement opponents. Museveni was reelected to a second five-year term in March 2001. Parliamentary elections were held in June 2001, and more than 50% of contested seats were won by newcomers. Movement supporters nevertheless remained in firm control of the legislative branch. Observers believed that the 2001 presidential and parliamentary elections generally reflected the will of the electorate; however, both were marred by serious irregularities, particularly in the period leading up to the elections, such as restrictions on political party activities, incidents of violence, voter intimidation, and fraud.

A Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) issued a report proposing comprehensive constitutional change in December 2003. The government, however, took issue with many CRC recommendations and made counter-proposals in September 2004. A July 2005 national referendum resulted in the adoption of a multiparty system of government and the subsequent inclusion of opposition parties in elections and government.

In February 2006, the country held its first multiparty general elections since President Museveni came to power in 1986. The election generally reflected the will of the people, although [[election fraud|serious irregularities]] occurred. Ruling NRM candidate President Museveni was declared the winner with 59.26% of the vote, giving him a third term in office following the passage of a controversial amendment in June 2005 to eliminate presidential term limits. Opposition FDC leader [[Kizza Besigye]] captured 37.39% of the vote, while the remaining contestants received less than 2% of the vote each, according to official figures from the Electoral Commission.

[[Category:African Countries]]
[[Category:Landlocked Countries]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Uganda|*]]

Uganda

2009-01-02T01:19:55Z

Abey: /* History */ wikify

The '''Republic of Uganda,''' or '''Uganda,''' is a country in East Africa, bordered to the east by [[Kenya]], on the north by [[Sudan]], to the west by the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Rwanda]] on the southwest, and [[Tanzania]] to the south. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of [[Lake Victoria]], within which it shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania.

==People==
Africans of three main ethnic groups — [[Bantu]], [[Nile|Nilotic]], and [[Ham|Nilo-Hamitic]] — constitute most of the population. The Bantu are the most numerous and include the [[Baganda]], which, with 18% of the population, constitute the largest single ethnic group. Individual ethnic groups in the southwest include the Banyankole and Bahima, 10%; the Bakiga, 8%; the Banyarwanda, 6%; the Bunyoro, 3%; and the Batoro, 3%. Residents of the north, largely Nilotic, include the Langi, 6%, and the Acholi, 4%. In the northwest are the Lugbara, 4%, and the Karamojong, 2%, occupy the considerably drier, largely pastoral territory in the northeast. The Basoga, 8% and the Bagisu, 5% are among ethnic groups in the East. Europeans, Asians, and Arabs make up about 1% of the population with other groups accounting for the remainder.

Uganda's population is predominately rural, and its population density highest in the southern regions. Until 1972, Asians constituted the largest nonindigenous ethnic group in Uganda. In that year, the Idi Amin regime expelled 50,000 Asians, who had been engaged in trade, industry, and various professions. In the years since Amin's overthrow in 1979, Asians have slowly returned and now number around 30,000. Other nonindigenous people in Uganda include [[Arabs]], Western [[missionary|missionaries]], [[non-governmental organization]] (NGO) [[work]]ers, [[diplomat]]s, and [[business]] people.
*Population (2007): 30.9 million.
*Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 4.0%.
*Ethnic groups: African 99%, European, Asian, Arab 1%.
*Religions (2007): Christian 85%, Muslim 12%, other 2%.
*Languages: English (official); Luganda and Swahili widely used; other Bantu and Nilotic languages.
*Education: Attendance (2000; primary school enrollment, public and private)--89%. Literacy (2003)--70%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate--86/1,000. Life expectancy--45.3 yrs.

==Government==
The 1995 constitution established Uganda as a [[republic]] with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The constitution provides for an executive president, to be elected every 5 years. President [[Yoweri Museveni]], in power since 1986, was elected in 1996 and reelected in 2001 and 2006. Legislative responsibility is vested in the parliament; legislative elections were last held February 2006. There currently are 332 members of parliament, of which 79 are women. The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeals, and the [[Supreme Court]]. [[Parliament]] and the [[judiciary]] have significant amounts of independence and wield significant power.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President and Commander in Chief--[[Yoweri Kaguta Museveni]]
*Vice President--Dr. [[Gilbert Bukenya]]
*Prime Minister--[[Apollo Nsibambi]]
*Foreign Minister--[[Sam Kutesa]]
*Minister of Defense--[[Crispus Kiyonga]]
*Ambassador to the United States--[[Perezi K. Kamunanwire]]

===Political Conditions===
Since assuming power, Museveni and his government have largely put an end to the [[human rights]] abuses of earlier governments and initiated substantial economic [[liberalization]] and general [[freedom of the press]], due to economic pressures from international governments such as the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Bank]].

The [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA), which seeks to overthrow the Ugandan Government, has murdered and kidnapped civilians in the north and east since 1986. Although the LRA does not threaten the stability of the government, LRA violence at one time displaced up to 1.7 million people, creating a humanitarian catastrophe, particularly when they were forced into internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for their own protection. The [[Uganda People's Defense Force]] (UPDEF) launched "[[Operation Iron Fist]]" against LRA rebels in northern Uganda in 2002 and conducted operations against LRA sanctuaries in southern [[Sudan]] with the permission of the Sudanese Government. The Sudanese Government had previously supported the LRA.

There have been significant new developments in this conflict since January 2006. With the signing of the Sudanese "Comprehensive Peace Agreement," the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) was created. To protect this fragile peace from LRA incursions in southern Sudan, Riek Machar, a GOSS Vice President, launched efforts to broker a peace agreement between the Government of Uganda and the LRA in July 2006. Those talks are ongoing and represent the first time there has been meaningful progress in ending this conflict. As a result, many northern Ugandans are leaving the IDP camps and returning to their villages.

In 1998, Uganda deployed a sizable military force to the eastern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (D.R.C.), ostensibly to prevent attacks from Ugandan rebel groups operating there. There were widespread allegations that Ugandan military and civilian officials were involved in the illegal exploitation of Congolese natural resources. After much international pressure, Uganda withdrew its troops from the D.R.C. in June 2003. Relations with the D.R.C., however, continue to be [[frost]]y. When the LRA left southern Sudan and relocated to eastern Congo in September 2005, Museveni threatened to enter the D.R.C. and "go after" the LRA if neither Congo nor the UN peacekeepers in the region would take action. The recent peace talks have taken a lot of steam out of those threats, however, and Uganda seems focused on seeing the talks to conclusion.

===Foreign Relations===
The Ugandan Government generally seeks good relations with other nations without reference to [[ideological]] orientation.{{fact}} Relations with [[Rwanda]], [[Congo]] and [[Sudan]] have sometimes been strained because of [[security]] concerns. President Museveni has been highly active in attempts implement a peace agreement [[Burundi]] and has supported peace initiatives in Sudan and [[Somalia]].

In the past, neighbors were concerned about Uganda's relationship with [[Libya]], which had supplied military equipment and bartered [[fuel]] to Uganda. In addition to its friendly ties to Western nations, Uganda has maintained friendly ties with [[North Korea]]. Uganda's has strained relations with Sudan because of past Sudanese support for the LRA. The LRA seeks to overthrow the Uganda Government and has inflicted brutal violence on the population in northern Uganda, including rape, kidnapping, torture, and murder. In 2002 Uganda and Sudan reestablished diplomatic ties and signed a [[protocol]] permitting the UPDF to enter southern Sudan and engage the LRA. The protocol ought to be renewed periodically.

Another rebel group operating in western Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the [[Rwenzori Mountains]], the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), emerged as a threat in 1996 and wields considerable power over the local population. It has largely been defeated by the UPDF and the affected areas of western Uganda have been secured. Remnants of the ADF remain in eastern Congo.

==Defense==
The Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF)--previously the National Resistance Army--constitutes the armed forces of Uganda. Prior to 2000, U.S. military forces participated with the UPDF in training activities under the African Crisis Response Initiative. U.S. military assistance was terminated in 2000 as a result of the Ugandan incursion into the D.R.C. Following the June 2003 UPDF withdrawal of troops from the D.R.C., the U.S. restarted limited nonlethal military assistance.

==Economy==
Uganda's economy has great potential. Endowed with significant natural resources, including huge tracts of [[land]], regular [[rain]]fall, and [[mineral]] deposits, it appeared poised for rapid economic growth and development at independence. However, chronic political instability and erratic economic management produced a record of persistent economic decline that left Uganda among the world's [[poor]]est and least-developed countries.

Since assuming power in early 1986, Museveni's government has taken important steps toward economic rehabilitation. The country's infrastructure — notably its transportation and communications systems, which had been destroyed by war and neglect — is being rebuilt. Recognizing the need for increased external support, Uganda negotiated a paper policy framework with the [[IMF]] and the [[World Bank]] in 1987. It subsequently began implementing economic policies designed to restore price stability and sustainable balance of payments, improve capacity utilization, rehabilitate infrastructure, restore producer incentives through proper price policies, and improve resource mobilization and allocation in the public sector. These policies produced positive results. Inflation, which ran at 240% in 1987 and 42% in June 1992, was 5.4% for fiscal year 1995–96 and 5.1% in 2003. In 2008 it was a mere 3.2%.

Investment as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 20.3% in 2003 compared to 13.7% in 1999. Private sector investment, largely financed by private transfers from abroad, was 14.9% of GDP in 2002. Gross national savings as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 6.4% in 2003. The Ugandan Government has also worked with donor countries to reschedule or cancel substantial portions of the country's external debts.

Agricultural products supply nearly all of Uganda's foreign exchange earnings, with [[coffee]] (of which Uganda is Africa's leading producer) accounting for about 19% and [[fish]] 17% of the country's exports in 2002. Exports of non-traditional products, including apparel, hides, skins, [[vanilla]], [[vegetable]]s, [[fruit]]s, cut [[flower]]s, and [[fish]] are growing, while traditional exports [[cotton]], [[tea]], and [[tobacco]] continue to be mainstays.

Most industry is related to [[agriculture]]. The industrial sector is being rehabilitated to resume production of building and construction materials, such as [[cement]], reinforcing [[rod]]s, corrugated [[roof]]ing sheets, and [[lead]] [[paint]]. Domestically produced consumer goods include [[plastics]], [[soap]], [[cork]], [[beer]], and [[soft drink]]s.

Uganda has about 30,000 kilometers (18,750 mi.), of [[road]]s; some 2,800 kilometers (1,750 mi.) are paved. Most radiate from [[Kampala]]. The country has about 1,350 kilometers (800 mi.) of rail lines. A [[railroad]] originating at [[Mombasa]] on the [[Indian Ocean]] connects with [[Tororo]], where it branches westward to [[Jinja]], Kampala, and [[Kasese]] and northward to [[Mbale]], [[Soroti]], [[Lira]], [[Gulu]], and [[Kapwatch]], though the routes west of Kampala and north of Mbale currently are not in use. Uganda's important road and rail links to Mombasa serve its transport needs and also those of its neighbors — [[Rwanda]], [[Burundi]], and parts of the [[Congo]] and [[Sudan]]. An international [[airport]] is at [[Entebbe]] on the shores of [[Lake Victoria]], some 20 miles south of Kampala.

*[[GDP]] (nominal, 2005/2006): $9.4 [[billion]]
*[[Inflation]] rate (annual headline or CPI, 2005/2006): 6.6%
*Natural resources: [[Cobalt]], [[carbon]], [[copper]], [[tungsten]], [[tin]], and [[sodium]]
*Agriculture: Cash crops: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, [[sugarcane]], cut flowers, vanilla. Food crops: [[banana]]s, [[corn]], [[cassava]], [[potatoe]]s, [[millet]], [[pulse]]s. Livestock and fisheries: [[beef]], [[goat]], [[meat]], [[milk]], Nile [[perch]], [[tilapia]]
*Industry: processing of agricultural products (cotton [[gin]]ning, coffee [[cure|curing]]), cement production, [[light]] consumer goods, [[textile]]s
*Trade: Exports (2005/2006)--$887.5 [[million]]: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, electricity, horticultural products, vanilla, cut flowers, remittances from abroad. Major markets--[[EU]], [[Kenya]], [[South Africa]], [[U.K.]], [[U.S.]] Imports (2005/2006)--$1.99 [[billion]]: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies, [[chemical]], [[cereal]]s. Major suppliers--[[OPEC]] countries, Kenya, EU, [[India]], South Africa, U.S.
*Fiscal year: July 1 – June 30 annually

==History==
When [[Arab]] traders moved inland from their enclaves along the [[Indian Ocean]] coast of [[East Africa]] and reached the interior of Uganda in the 1830s, they found several African kingdoms with well-developed political institutions dating back several centuries. These traders were followed in the 1860s by British explorers searching for the source of the Nile River. [[Protestant]] missionaries entered the country in 1877, followed by [[Catholic]] missionaries in 1879.

In 1888, control of the emerging British "sphere of interest" in East Africa was assigned by royal charter to the Imperial [[British East Africa Company]], an arrangement strengthened in 1890 by an Anglo-German agreement confirming British dominance over Kenya and Uganda. In 1894, the Kingdom of [[Buganda]] was placed under a formal British [[protectorate]].

Britain granted internal self-government to Uganda in 1961, with the first elections held on March 1, 1961. [[Benedicto Kiwanuka]] of the [[Democratic Party]] became the first Chief Minister. Uganda maintained its [[Commonwealth]] membership. A second round of elections in April 1962 elected members to a new National Assembly. [[Milton Obote]], leader of the majority coalition in the National Assembly, became prime minister and led Uganda to formal independence on October 9, 1962.

In succeeding years, supporters of a centralized state vied with those in favor of a loose federation and a strong role for tribally-based local kingdoms. Political maneuvering climaxed in February 1966, when Prime Minister Milton Obote suspended the constitution, assumed all government powers, and removed the ceremonial president and vice president. In September 1967, a new constitution proclaimed Uganda a republic, gave the president even greater powers, and abolished the traditional kingdoms. On January 25, 1971, Obote's government was ousted in a military coup led by armed forces commander [[E.D. Amin]]. Amin declared himself president, dissolved the parliament, and amended the constitution to give himself absolute power.

E.D. Amin's 8-year rule produced economic decline, social disintegration, and massive human rights violations. The [[Acholi]] and [[Langi]] ethnic groups were particular objects of Amin's political persecution because they had supported Obote and made up a large part of the army. In 1978, the International Commission of Jurists estimated that more than 100,000 Ugandans had been murdered during Amin's reign of terror; some authorities place the figure much higher.

In October 1978, the armed forces of [[Tanzania]] repulsed an incursion of Amin's troops into Tanzanian territory. The Tanzanian force, backed by Ugandan exiles, waged a war of liberation against Amin's troops and Libyan soldiers sent to help him. On April 11, 1979, [[Kampala]] was captured, and Amin fled with his remaining forces.

After Amin's self-imposed exile, the Uganda National Liberation Front formed an interim government with [[Yusuf Lulz]] as president. This government adopted a ministerial system of administration and created a quasi-parliamentary organ known as the National Consultative Commission (NCC). The NCC and the Lulz cabinet reflected widely differing political views. In June 1979, following a dispute over the extent of presidential powers, the NCC replaced Lulz with [[Godfrey Binaisa]]. In a continuing dispute over the powers of the interim presidency, Binaisa was removed in May 1980. Thereafter, Uganda was ruled by a military commission chaired by [[Paulo Muwanga]]. December 1980 elections returned the UPC to power under the leadership of President Obote, with Muwanga serving as vice president. Under Obote, the security forces had one of the world's worst [[human rights]] records. In their efforts to stamp out an [[insurgency]] led by [[Yoweri Museveni]]'s National Resistance Army (NRA), they laid waste to a substantial section of the country, especially in the [[Luwero]] area north of [[Kampala]].

Obote ruled until July 27, 1985, when an army brigade, composed mostly of ethnic Acholi troops and commanded by Lt. Gen. Basilio Olara-Okello, took Kampala and proclaimed a military government. Obote fled to exile in Zambia. The new regime, headed by former defense force commander Gen. Tito Okello (no relation to Lt. Gen. Olara-Okello), opened negotiations with Museveni's insurgent forces and pledged to improve respect for human rights, end [[tribal]] rivalry, and conduct "free and fair" elections. In the meantime, massive human rights violations continued as the Okello government murdered civilians and ravaged the countryside in order to destroy the NRA's support.

Negotiations between the Okello government and the NRA were conducted in [[Nairobi]] in the fall of 1985, with Kenyan President [[Daniel Moi]] seeking a cease-fire and a coalition government in Uganda. Although agreeing in late 1985 to a [[cease-fire]], the NRA continued fighting, seized Kampala in late January 1986, and assumed control of the country, forcing Okello to flee north into [[Sudan]]. Museveni's forces organized a government with Museveni as president and dominated by the political grouping called the National Resistance Movement (NRM or the "Movement").

A referendum was held in March 2000 on whether Uganda should retain the Movement system, with limited operation of political parties, or adopt multi-party politics. Although 70% of voters endorsed retention of the Movement system, the referendum was widely criticized for low voter turnout and unfair restrictions on Movement opponents. Museveni was reelected to a second five-year term in March 2001. Parliamentary elections were held in June 2001, and more than 50% of contested seats were won by newcomers. Movement supporters nevertheless remained in firm control of the legislative branch. Observers believed that the 2001 presidential and parliamentary elections generally reflected the will of the electorate; however, both were marred by serious irregularities, particularly in the period leading up to the elections, such as restrictions on political party activities, incidents of violence, voter intimidation, and fraud.

A Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) issued a report proposing comprehensive constitutional change in December 2003. The government, however, took issue with many CRC recommendations and made counter-proposals in September 2004. A July 2005 national referendum resulted in the adoption of a multiparty system of government and the subsequent inclusion of opposition parties in elections and government.

In February 2006, the country held its first multiparty general elections since President Museveni came to power in 1986. The election generally reflected the will of the people, although [[election fraud|serious irregularities]] occurred. Ruling NRM candidate President Museveni was declared the winner with 59.26% of the vote, giving him a third term in office following the passage of a controversial amendment in June 2005 to eliminate presidential term limits. Opposition FDC leader [[Kizza Besigye]] captured 37.39% of the vote, while the remaining contestants received less than 2% of the vote each, according to official figures from the Electoral Commission.

[[Category:African Countries]]
[[Category:Landlocked Countries]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Uganda|*]]

Uganda

2009-01-02T01:14:44Z

Abey: /* Economy */ wikify

The '''Republic of Uganda,''' or '''Uganda,''' is a country in East Africa, bordered to the east by [[Kenya]], on the north by [[Sudan]], to the west by the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Rwanda]] on the southwest, and [[Tanzania]] to the south. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of [[Lake Victoria]], within which it shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania.

==People==
Africans of three main ethnic groups — [[Bantu]], [[Nile|Nilotic]], and [[Ham|Nilo-Hamitic]] — constitute most of the population. The Bantu are the most numerous and include the [[Baganda]], which, with 18% of the population, constitute the largest single ethnic group. Individual ethnic groups in the southwest include the Banyankole and Bahima, 10%; the Bakiga, 8%; the Banyarwanda, 6%; the Bunyoro, 3%; and the Batoro, 3%. Residents of the north, largely Nilotic, include the Langi, 6%, and the Acholi, 4%. In the northwest are the Lugbara, 4%, and the Karamojong, 2%, occupy the considerably drier, largely pastoral territory in the northeast. The Basoga, 8% and the Bagisu, 5% are among ethnic groups in the East. Europeans, Asians, and Arabs make up about 1% of the population with other groups accounting for the remainder.

Uganda's population is predominately rural, and its population density highest in the southern regions. Until 1972, Asians constituted the largest nonindigenous ethnic group in Uganda. In that year, the Idi Amin regime expelled 50,000 Asians, who had been engaged in trade, industry, and various professions. In the years since Amin's overthrow in 1979, Asians have slowly returned and now number around 30,000. Other nonindigenous people in Uganda include [[Arabs]], Western [[missionary|missionaries]], [[non-governmental organization]] (NGO) [[work]]ers, [[diplomat]]s, and [[business]] people.
*Population (2007): 30.9 million.
*Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 4.0%.
*Ethnic groups: African 99%, European, Asian, Arab 1%.
*Religions (2007): Christian 85%, Muslim 12%, other 2%.
*Languages: English (official); Luganda and Swahili widely used; other Bantu and Nilotic languages.
*Education: Attendance (2000; primary school enrollment, public and private)--89%. Literacy (2003)--70%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate--86/1,000. Life expectancy--45.3 yrs.

==Government==
The 1995 constitution established Uganda as a [[republic]] with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The constitution provides for an executive president, to be elected every 5 years. President [[Yoweri Museveni]], in power since 1986, was elected in 1996 and reelected in 2001 and 2006. Legislative responsibility is vested in the parliament; legislative elections were last held February 2006. There currently are 332 members of parliament, of which 79 are women. The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeals, and the [[Supreme Court]]. [[Parliament]] and the [[judiciary]] have significant amounts of independence and wield significant power.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President and Commander in Chief--[[Yoweri Kaguta Museveni]]
*Vice President--Dr. [[Gilbert Bukenya]]
*Prime Minister--[[Apollo Nsibambi]]
*Foreign Minister--[[Sam Kutesa]]
*Minister of Defense--[[Crispus Kiyonga]]
*Ambassador to the United States--[[Perezi K. Kamunanwire]]

===Political Conditions===
Since assuming power, Museveni and his government have largely put an end to the [[human rights]] abuses of earlier governments and initiated substantial economic [[liberalization]] and general [[freedom of the press]], due to economic pressures from international governments such as the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Bank]].

The [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA), which seeks to overthrow the Ugandan Government, has murdered and kidnapped civilians in the north and east since 1986. Although the LRA does not threaten the stability of the government, LRA violence at one time displaced up to 1.7 million people, creating a humanitarian catastrophe, particularly when they were forced into internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for their own protection. The [[Uganda People's Defense Force]] (UPDEF) launched "[[Operation Iron Fist]]" against LRA rebels in northern Uganda in 2002 and conducted operations against LRA sanctuaries in southern [[Sudan]] with the permission of the Sudanese Government. The Sudanese Government had previously supported the LRA.

There have been significant new developments in this conflict since January 2006. With the signing of the Sudanese "Comprehensive Peace Agreement," the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) was created. To protect this fragile peace from LRA incursions in southern Sudan, Riek Machar, a GOSS Vice President, launched efforts to broker a peace agreement between the Government of Uganda and the LRA in July 2006. Those talks are ongoing and represent the first time there has been meaningful progress in ending this conflict. As a result, many northern Ugandans are leaving the IDP camps and returning to their villages.

In 1998, Uganda deployed a sizable military force to the eastern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (D.R.C.), ostensibly to prevent attacks from Ugandan rebel groups operating there. There were widespread allegations that Ugandan military and civilian officials were involved in the illegal exploitation of Congolese natural resources. After much international pressure, Uganda withdrew its troops from the D.R.C. in June 2003. Relations with the D.R.C., however, continue to be [[frost]]y. When the LRA left southern Sudan and relocated to eastern Congo in September 2005, Museveni threatened to enter the D.R.C. and "go after" the LRA if neither Congo nor the UN peacekeepers in the region would take action. The recent peace talks have taken a lot of steam out of those threats, however, and Uganda seems focused on seeing the talks to conclusion.

===Foreign Relations===
The Ugandan Government generally seeks good relations with other nations without reference to [[ideological]] orientation.{{fact}} Relations with [[Rwanda]], [[Congo]] and [[Sudan]] have sometimes been strained because of [[security]] concerns. President Museveni has been highly active in attempts implement a peace agreement [[Burundi]] and has supported peace initiatives in Sudan and [[Somalia]].

In the past, neighbors were concerned about Uganda's relationship with [[Libya]], which had supplied military equipment and bartered [[fuel]] to Uganda. In addition to its friendly ties to Western nations, Uganda has maintained friendly ties with [[North Korea]]. Uganda's has strained relations with Sudan because of past Sudanese support for the LRA. The LRA seeks to overthrow the Uganda Government and has inflicted brutal violence on the population in northern Uganda, including rape, kidnapping, torture, and murder. In 2002 Uganda and Sudan reestablished diplomatic ties and signed a [[protocol]] permitting the UPDF to enter southern Sudan and engage the LRA. The protocol ought to be renewed periodically.

Another rebel group operating in western Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the [[Rwenzori Mountains]], the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), emerged as a threat in 1996 and wields considerable power over the local population. It has largely been defeated by the UPDF and the affected areas of western Uganda have been secured. Remnants of the ADF remain in eastern Congo.

==Defense==
The Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF)--previously the National Resistance Army--constitutes the armed forces of Uganda. Prior to 2000, U.S. military forces participated with the UPDF in training activities under the African Crisis Response Initiative. U.S. military assistance was terminated in 2000 as a result of the Ugandan incursion into the D.R.C. Following the June 2003 UPDF withdrawal of troops from the D.R.C., the U.S. restarted limited nonlethal military assistance.

==Economy==
Uganda's economy has great potential. Endowed with significant natural resources, including huge tracts of [[land]], regular [[rain]]fall, and [[mineral]] deposits, it appeared poised for rapid economic growth and development at independence. However, chronic political instability and erratic economic management produced a record of persistent economic decline that left Uganda among the world's [[poor]]est and least-developed countries.

Since assuming power in early 1986, Museveni's government has taken important steps toward economic rehabilitation. The country's infrastructure — notably its transportation and communications systems, which had been destroyed by war and neglect — is being rebuilt. Recognizing the need for increased external support, Uganda negotiated a paper policy framework with the [[IMF]] and the [[World Bank]] in 1987. It subsequently began implementing economic policies designed to restore price stability and sustainable balance of payments, improve capacity utilization, rehabilitate infrastructure, restore producer incentives through proper price policies, and improve resource mobilization and allocation in the public sector. These policies produced positive results. Inflation, which ran at 240% in 1987 and 42% in June 1992, was 5.4% for fiscal year 1995–96 and 5.1% in 2003. In 2008 it was a mere 3.2%.

Investment as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 20.3% in 2003 compared to 13.7% in 1999. Private sector investment, largely financed by private transfers from abroad, was 14.9% of GDP in 2002. Gross national savings as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 6.4% in 2003. The Ugandan Government has also worked with donor countries to reschedule or cancel substantial portions of the country's external debts.

Agricultural products supply nearly all of Uganda's foreign exchange earnings, with [[coffee]] (of which Uganda is Africa's leading producer) accounting for about 19% and [[fish]] 17% of the country's exports in 2002. Exports of non-traditional products, including apparel, hides, skins, [[vanilla]], [[vegetable]]s, [[fruit]]s, cut [[flower]]s, and [[fish]] are growing, while traditional exports [[cotton]], [[tea]], and [[tobacco]] continue to be mainstays.

Most industry is related to [[agriculture]]. The industrial sector is being rehabilitated to resume production of building and construction materials, such as [[cement]], reinforcing [[rod]]s, corrugated [[roof]]ing sheets, and [[lead]] [[paint]]. Domestically produced consumer goods include [[plastics]], [[soap]], [[cork]], [[beer]], and [[soft drink]]s.

Uganda has about 30,000 kilometers (18,750 mi.), of [[road]]s; some 2,800 kilometers (1,750 mi.) are paved. Most radiate from [[Kampala]]. The country has about 1,350 kilometers (800 mi.) of rail lines. A [[railroad]] originating at [[Mombasa]] on the [[Indian Ocean]] connects with [[Tororo]], where it branches westward to [[Jinja]], Kampala, and [[Kasese]] and northward to [[Mbale]], [[Soroti]], [[Lira]], [[Gulu]], and [[Kapwatch]], though the routes west of Kampala and north of Mbale currently are not in use. Uganda's important road and rail links to Mombasa serve its transport needs and also those of its neighbors — [[Rwanda]], [[Burundi]], and parts of the [[Congo]] and [[Sudan]]. An international [[airport]] is at [[Entebbe]] on the shores of [[Lake Victoria]], some 20 miles south of Kampala.

*[[GDP]] (nominal, 2005/2006): $9.4 [[billion]]
*[[Inflation]] rate (annual headline or CPI, 2005/2006): 6.6%
*Natural resources: [[Cobalt]], [[carbon]], [[copper]], [[tungsten]], [[tin]], and [[sodium]]
*Agriculture: Cash crops: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, [[sugarcane]], cut flowers, vanilla. Food crops: [[banana]]s, [[corn]], [[cassava]], [[potatoe]]s, [[millet]], [[pulse]]s. Livestock and fisheries: [[beef]], [[goat]], [[meat]], [[milk]], Nile [[perch]], [[tilapia]]
*Industry: processing of agricultural products (cotton [[gin]]ning, coffee [[cure|curing]]), cement production, [[light]] consumer goods, [[textile]]s
*Trade: Exports (2005/2006)--$887.5 [[million]]: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, electricity, horticultural products, vanilla, cut flowers, remittances from abroad. Major markets--[[EU]], [[Kenya]], [[South Africa]], [[U.K.]], [[U.S.]] Imports (2005/2006)--$1.99 [[billion]]: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies, [[chemical]], [[cereal]]s. Major suppliers--[[OPEC]] countries, Kenya, EU, [[India]], South Africa, U.S.
*Fiscal year: July 1 – June 30 annually

==History==
When Arab traders moved inland from their enclaves along the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa and reached the interior of Uganda in the 1830s, they found several African kingdoms with well-developed political institutions dating back several centuries. These traders were followed in the 1860s by British explorers searching for the source of the Nile River. Protestant missionaries entered the country in 1877, followed by Catholic missionaries in 1879.

In 1888, control of the emerging British "sphere of interest" in East Africa was assigned by royal charter to the Imperial British East Africa Company, an arrangement strengthened in 1890 by an Anglo-German agreement confirming British dominance over Kenya and Uganda. In 1894, the Kingdom of Buganda was placed under a formal British protectorate.

Britain granted internal self-government to Uganda in 1961, with the first elections held on March 1, 1961. Benedicto Kiwanuka of the Democratic Party became the first Chief Minister. Uganda maintained its Commonwealth membership. A second round of elections in April 1962 elected members to a new National Assembly. Milton Obote, leader of the majority coalition in the National Assembly, became prime minister and led Uganda to formal independence on October 9, 1962.

In succeeding years, supporters of a centralized state vied with those in favor of a loose federation and a strong role for tribally-based local kingdoms. Political maneuvering climaxed in February 1966, when Prime Minister Milton Obote suspended the constitution, assumed all government powers, and removed the ceremonial president and vice president. In September 1967, a new constitution proclaimed Uganda a republic, gave the president even greater powers, and abolished the traditional kingdoms. On January 25, 1971, Obote's government was ousted in a military coup led by armed forces commander Idi Amin Dada. Amin declared himself president, dissolved the parliament, and amended the constitution to give himself absolute power.

Idi Amin's 8-year rule produced economic decline, social disintegration, and massive human rights violations. The Acholi and Langi ethnic groups were particular objects of Amin's political persecution because they had supported Obote and made up a large part of the army. In 1978, the International Commission of Jurists estimated that more than 100,000 Ugandans had been murdered during Amin's reign of terror; some authorities place the figure much higher.

In October 1978, Tanzanian armed forces repulsed an incursion of Amin's troops into Tanzanian territory. The Tanzanian force, backed by Ugandan exiles, waged a war of liberation against Amin's troops and Libyan soldiers sent to help him. On April 11, 1979, Kampala was captured, and Amin fled with his remaining forces.

After Amin's removal, the Uganda National Liberation Front formed an interim government with Yusuf Lule as president. This government adopted a ministerial system of administration and created a quasi-parliamentary organ known as the National Consultative Commission (NCC). The NCC and the Lule cabinet reflected widely differing political views. In June 1979, following a dispute over the extent of presidential powers, the NCC replaced Lule with Godfrey Binaisa. In a continuing dispute over the powers of the interim presidency, Binaisa was removed in May 1980. Thereafter, Uganda was ruled by a military commission chaired by Paulo Muwanga. December 1980 elections returned the UPC to power under the leadership of President Obote, with Muwanga serving as vice president. Under Obote, the security forces had one of the world's worst human rights records. In their efforts to stamp out an insurgency led by Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA), they laid waste to a substantial section of the country, especially in the Luwero area north of Kampala.

Obote ruled until July 27, 1985, when an army brigade, composed mostly of ethnic Acholi troops and commanded by Lt. Gen. Basilio Olara-Okello, took Kampala and proclaimed a military government. Obote fled to exile in Zambia. The new regime, headed by former defense force commander Gen. Tito Okello (no relation to Lt. Gen. Olara-Okello), opened negotiations with Museveni's insurgent forces and pledged to improve respect for human rights, end tribal rivalry, and conduct free and fair elections. In the meantime, massive human rights violations continued as the Okello government murdered civilians and ravaged the countryside in order to destroy the NRA's support.

Negotiations between the Okello government and the NRA were conducted in Nairobi in the fall of 1985, with Kenyan President Daniel Moi seeking a cease-fire and a coalition government in Uganda. Although agreeing in late 1985 to a cease-fire, the NRA continued fighting, seized Kampala in late January 1986, and assumed control of the country, forcing Okello to flee north into Sudan. Museveni's forces organized a government with Museveni as president and dominated by the political grouping called the National Resistance Movement (NRM or the "Movement").

A referendum was held in March 2000 on whether Uganda should retain the Movement system, with limited operation of political parties, or adopt multi-party politics. Although 70% of voters endorsed retention of the Movement system, the referendum was widely criticized for low voter turnout and unfair restrictions on Movement opponents. Museveni was reelected to a second five-year term in March 2001. Parliamentary elections were held in June 2001, and more than 50% of contested seats were won by newcomers. Movement supporters nevertheless remained in firm control of the legislative branch. Observers believed that the 2001 presidential and parliamentary elections generally reflected the will of the electorate; however, both were marred by serious irregularities, particularly in the period leading up to the elections, such as restrictions on political party activities, incidents of violence, voter intimidation, and fraud.

A Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) issued a report proposing comprehensive constitutional change in December 2003. The government, however, took issue with many CRC recommendations and made counter-proposals in September 2004. A July 2005 national referendum resulted in the adoption of a multiparty system of government and the subsequent inclusion of opposition parties in elections and government.

In February 2006, the country held its first multiparty general elections since President Museveni came to power in 1986. The election generally reflected the will of the people, although serious irregularities occurred. Ruling NRM candidate President Museveni was declared the winner with 59.26% of the vote, giving him a third term in office following the passage of a controversial amendment in June 2005 to eliminate presidential term limits. Opposition FDC leader Kizza Besigye captured 37.39% of the vote, while the remaining contestants received less than 2% of the vote each, according to official figures from the Electoral Commission.

[[Category:African Countries]]
[[Category:Landlocked Countries]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Uganda]]

Uganda

2009-01-02T01:06:13Z

Abey: /* Government */ wikify, slight bias removal

The '''Republic of Uganda,''' or '''Uganda,''' is a country in East Africa, bordered to the east by [[Kenya]], on the north by [[Sudan]], to the west by the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Rwanda]] on the southwest, and [[Tanzania]] to the south. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of [[Lake Victoria]], within which it shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania.

==People==
Africans of three main ethnic groups — [[Bantu]], [[Nile|Nilotic]], and [[Ham|Nilo-Hamitic]] — constitute most of the population. The Bantu are the most numerous and include the [[Baganda]], which, with 18% of the population, constitute the largest single ethnic group. Individual ethnic groups in the southwest include the Banyankole and Bahima, 10%; the Bakiga, 8%; the Banyarwanda, 6%; the Bunyoro, 3%; and the Batoro, 3%. Residents of the north, largely Nilotic, include the Langi, 6%, and the Acholi, 4%. In the northwest are the Lugbara, 4%, and the Karamojong, 2%, occupy the considerably drier, largely pastoral territory in the northeast. The Basoga, 8% and the Bagisu, 5% are among ethnic groups in the East. Europeans, Asians, and Arabs make up about 1% of the population with other groups accounting for the remainder.

Uganda's population is predominately rural, and its population density highest in the southern regions. Until 1972, Asians constituted the largest nonindigenous ethnic group in Uganda. In that year, the Idi Amin regime expelled 50,000 Asians, who had been engaged in trade, industry, and various professions. In the years since Amin's overthrow in 1979, Asians have slowly returned and now number around 30,000. Other nonindigenous people in Uganda include [[Arabs]], Western [[missionary|missionaries]], [[non-governmental organization]] (NGO) [[work]]ers, [[diplomat]]s, and [[business]] people.
*Population (2007): 30.9 million.
*Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 4.0%.
*Ethnic groups: African 99%, European, Asian, Arab 1%.
*Religions (2007): Christian 85%, Muslim 12%, other 2%.
*Languages: English (official); Luganda and Swahili widely used; other Bantu and Nilotic languages.
*Education: Attendance (2000; primary school enrollment, public and private)--89%. Literacy (2003)--70%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate--86/1,000. Life expectancy--45.3 yrs.

==Government==
The 1995 constitution established Uganda as a [[republic]] with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The constitution provides for an executive president, to be elected every 5 years. President [[Yoweri Museveni]], in power since 1986, was elected in 1996 and reelected in 2001 and 2006. Legislative responsibility is vested in the parliament; legislative elections were last held February 2006. There currently are 332 members of parliament, of which 79 are women. The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeals, and the [[Supreme Court]]. [[Parliament]] and the [[judiciary]] have significant amounts of independence and wield significant power.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President and Commander in Chief--[[Yoweri Kaguta Museveni]]
*Vice President--Dr. [[Gilbert Bukenya]]
*Prime Minister--[[Apollo Nsibambi]]
*Foreign Minister--[[Sam Kutesa]]
*Minister of Defense--[[Crispus Kiyonga]]
*Ambassador to the United States--[[Perezi K. Kamunanwire]]

===Political Conditions===
Since assuming power, Museveni and his government have largely put an end to the [[human rights]] abuses of earlier governments and initiated substantial economic [[liberalization]] and general [[freedom of the press]], due to economic pressures from international governments such as the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Bank]].

The [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA), which seeks to overthrow the Ugandan Government, has murdered and kidnapped civilians in the north and east since 1986. Although the LRA does not threaten the stability of the government, LRA violence at one time displaced up to 1.7 million people, creating a humanitarian catastrophe, particularly when they were forced into internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for their own protection. The [[Uganda People's Defense Force]] (UPDEF) launched "[[Operation Iron Fist]]" against LRA rebels in northern Uganda in 2002 and conducted operations against LRA sanctuaries in southern [[Sudan]] with the permission of the Sudanese Government. The Sudanese Government had previously supported the LRA.

There have been significant new developments in this conflict since January 2006. With the signing of the Sudanese "Comprehensive Peace Agreement," the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) was created. To protect this fragile peace from LRA incursions in southern Sudan, Riek Machar, a GOSS Vice President, launched efforts to broker a peace agreement between the Government of Uganda and the LRA in July 2006. Those talks are ongoing and represent the first time there has been meaningful progress in ending this conflict. As a result, many northern Ugandans are leaving the IDP camps and returning to their villages.

In 1998, Uganda deployed a sizable military force to the eastern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (D.R.C.), ostensibly to prevent attacks from Ugandan rebel groups operating there. There were widespread allegations that Ugandan military and civilian officials were involved in the illegal exploitation of Congolese natural resources. After much international pressure, Uganda withdrew its troops from the D.R.C. in June 2003. Relations with the D.R.C., however, continue to be [[frost]]y. When the LRA left southern Sudan and relocated to eastern Congo in September 2005, Museveni threatened to enter the D.R.C. and "go after" the LRA if neither Congo nor the UN peacekeepers in the region would take action. The recent peace talks have taken a lot of steam out of those threats, however, and Uganda seems focused on seeing the talks to conclusion.

===Foreign Relations===
The Ugandan Government generally seeks good relations with other nations without reference to [[ideological]] orientation.{{fact}} Relations with [[Rwanda]], [[Congo]] and [[Sudan]] have sometimes been strained because of [[security]] concerns. President Museveni has been highly active in attempts implement a peace agreement [[Burundi]] and has supported peace initiatives in Sudan and [[Somalia]].

In the past, neighbors were concerned about Uganda's relationship with [[Libya]], which had supplied military equipment and bartered [[fuel]] to Uganda. In addition to its friendly ties to Western nations, Uganda has maintained friendly ties with [[North Korea]]. Uganda's has strained relations with Sudan because of past Sudanese support for the LRA. The LRA seeks to overthrow the Uganda Government and has inflicted brutal violence on the population in northern Uganda, including rape, kidnapping, torture, and murder. In 2002 Uganda and Sudan reestablished diplomatic ties and signed a [[protocol]] permitting the UPDF to enter southern Sudan and engage the LRA. The protocol ought to be renewed periodically.

Another rebel group operating in western Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the [[Rwenzori Mountains]], the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), emerged as a threat in 1996 and wields considerable power over the local population. It has largely been defeated by the UPDF and the affected areas of western Uganda have been secured. Remnants of the ADF remain in eastern Congo.

==Defense==
The Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF)--previously the National Resistance Army--constitutes the armed forces of Uganda. Prior to 2000, U.S. military forces participated with the UPDF in training activities under the African Crisis Response Initiative. U.S. military assistance was terminated in 2000 as a result of the Ugandan incursion into the D.R.C. Following the June 2003 UPDF withdrawal of troops from the D.R.C., the U.S. restarted limited nonlethal military assistance.

==Economy==
Uganda's economy has great potential. Endowed with significant natural resources, including ample fertile land, regular rainfall, and mineral deposits, it appeared poised for rapid economic growth and development at independence. However, chronic political instability and erratic economic management produced a record of persistent economic decline that left Uganda among the world's poorest and least-developed countries.

Since assuming power in early 1986, Museveni's government has taken important steps toward economic rehabilitation. The country's infrastructure--notably its transportation and communications systems that were destroyed by war and neglect--is being rebuilt. Recognizing the need for increased external support, Uganda negotiated a policy framework paper with the IMF and the World Bank in 1987. It subsequently began implementing economic policies designed to restore price stability and sustainable balance of payments, improve capacity utilization, rehabilitate infrastructure, restore producer incentives through proper price policies, and improve resource mobilization and allocation in the public sector. These policies produced positive results. Inflation, which ran at 240% in 1987 and 42% in June 1992, was 5.4% for fiscal year 1995-96 and 5.1% in 2003.

Investment as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 20.3% in 2003 compared to 13.7% in 1999. Private sector investment, largely financed by private transfers from abroad, was 14.9% of GDP in 2002. Gross national savings as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 6.4% in 2003. The Ugandan Government has also worked with donor countries to reschedule or cancel substantial portions of the country's external debts.

Agricultural products supply nearly all of Uganda's foreign exchange earnings, with coffee (of which Uganda is Africa's leading producer) accounting for about 19% and fish 17% of the country's exports in 2002. Exports of non-traditional products, including apparel, hides, skins, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, cut flowers, and fish are growing, while traditional exports cotton, tea, and tobacco continue to be mainstays.

Most industry is related to agriculture. The industrial sector is being rehabilitated to resume production of building and construction materials, such as cement, reinforcing rods, corrugated roofing sheets, and paint. Domestically produced consumer goods include plastics, soap, cork, beer, and soft drinks.

Uganda has about 30,000 kilometers (18,750 mi.), of roads; some 2,800 kilometers (1,750 mi.) are paved. Most radiate from Kampala. The country has about 1,350 kilometers (800 mi.) of rail lines. A railroad originating at Mombasa on the Indian Ocean connects with Tororo, where it branches westward to Jinja, Kampala, and Kasese and northward to Mbale, Soroti, Lira, Gulu, and Kapwach, though the routes west of Kampala and north of Mbale currently are not in use. Uganda's important road and rail links to Mombasa serve its transport needs and also those of its neighbors-Rwanda, Burundi, and parts of Congo and Sudan. An international airport is at Entebbe on the shore of Lake Victoria, some 32 kilometers (20 mi.) south of Kampala.
*GDP (nominal, 2005/2006): $9.4 billion.
*Inflation rate (annual headline or CPI, 2005/2006): 6.6%.
*Natural resources: Copper, cobalt, limestone, phosphate, oil.
*Agriculture: Cash crops--coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, cut flowers, vanilla. Food crops--bananas, corn, cassava, potatoes, millet, pulses. Livestock and fisheries--beef, goat meat, milk, Nile perch, tilapia.
*Industry: Types--processing of agricultural products (cotton ginning, coffee curing), cement production, light consumer goods, textiles.
*Trade: Exports (2005/2006)--$887.5 million: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, electricity, horticultural products, vanilla, cut flowers, remittances from abroad. Major markets--EU, Kenya, South Africa, U.K., U.S. Imports (2005/2006)--$1.99 billion: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies, chemical, cereals. Major suppliers--OPEC countries, Kenya, EU, India, South Africa, U.S.
*Fiscal year: July 1-June 30.

==History==
When Arab traders moved inland from their enclaves along the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa and reached the interior of Uganda in the 1830s, they found several African kingdoms with well-developed political institutions dating back several centuries. These traders were followed in the 1860s by British explorers searching for the source of the Nile River. Protestant missionaries entered the country in 1877, followed by Catholic missionaries in 1879.

In 1888, control of the emerging British "sphere of interest" in East Africa was assigned by royal charter to the Imperial British East Africa Company, an arrangement strengthened in 1890 by an Anglo-German agreement confirming British dominance over Kenya and Uganda. In 1894, the Kingdom of Buganda was placed under a formal British protectorate.

Britain granted internal self-government to Uganda in 1961, with the first elections held on March 1, 1961. Benedicto Kiwanuka of the Democratic Party became the first Chief Minister. Uganda maintained its Commonwealth membership. A second round of elections in April 1962 elected members to a new National Assembly. Milton Obote, leader of the majority coalition in the National Assembly, became prime minister and led Uganda to formal independence on October 9, 1962.

In succeeding years, supporters of a centralized state vied with those in favor of a loose federation and a strong role for tribally-based local kingdoms. Political maneuvering climaxed in February 1966, when Prime Minister Milton Obote suspended the constitution, assumed all government powers, and removed the ceremonial president and vice president. In September 1967, a new constitution proclaimed Uganda a republic, gave the president even greater powers, and abolished the traditional kingdoms. On January 25, 1971, Obote's government was ousted in a military coup led by armed forces commander Idi Amin Dada. Amin declared himself president, dissolved the parliament, and amended the constitution to give himself absolute power.

Idi Amin's 8-year rule produced economic decline, social disintegration, and massive human rights violations. The Acholi and Langi ethnic groups were particular objects of Amin's political persecution because they had supported Obote and made up a large part of the army. In 1978, the International Commission of Jurists estimated that more than 100,000 Ugandans had been murdered during Amin's reign of terror; some authorities place the figure much higher.

In October 1978, Tanzanian armed forces repulsed an incursion of Amin's troops into Tanzanian territory. The Tanzanian force, backed by Ugandan exiles, waged a war of liberation against Amin's troops and Libyan soldiers sent to help him. On April 11, 1979, Kampala was captured, and Amin fled with his remaining forces.

After Amin's removal, the Uganda National Liberation Front formed an interim government with Yusuf Lule as president. This government adopted a ministerial system of administration and created a quasi-parliamentary organ known as the National Consultative Commission (NCC). The NCC and the Lule cabinet reflected widely differing political views. In June 1979, following a dispute over the extent of presidential powers, the NCC replaced Lule with Godfrey Binaisa. In a continuing dispute over the powers of the interim presidency, Binaisa was removed in May 1980. Thereafter, Uganda was ruled by a military commission chaired by Paulo Muwanga. December 1980 elections returned the UPC to power under the leadership of President Obote, with Muwanga serving as vice president. Under Obote, the security forces had one of the world's worst human rights records. In their efforts to stamp out an insurgency led by Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA), they laid waste to a substantial section of the country, especially in the Luwero area north of Kampala.

Obote ruled until July 27, 1985, when an army brigade, composed mostly of ethnic Acholi troops and commanded by Lt. Gen. Basilio Olara-Okello, took Kampala and proclaimed a military government. Obote fled to exile in Zambia. The new regime, headed by former defense force commander Gen. Tito Okello (no relation to Lt. Gen. Olara-Okello), opened negotiations with Museveni's insurgent forces and pledged to improve respect for human rights, end tribal rivalry, and conduct free and fair elections. In the meantime, massive human rights violations continued as the Okello government murdered civilians and ravaged the countryside in order to destroy the NRA's support.

Negotiations between the Okello government and the NRA were conducted in Nairobi in the fall of 1985, with Kenyan President Daniel Moi seeking a cease-fire and a coalition government in Uganda. Although agreeing in late 1985 to a cease-fire, the NRA continued fighting, seized Kampala in late January 1986, and assumed control of the country, forcing Okello to flee north into Sudan. Museveni's forces organized a government with Museveni as president and dominated by the political grouping called the National Resistance Movement (NRM or the "Movement").

A referendum was held in March 2000 on whether Uganda should retain the Movement system, with limited operation of political parties, or adopt multi-party politics. Although 70% of voters endorsed retention of the Movement system, the referendum was widely criticized for low voter turnout and unfair restrictions on Movement opponents. Museveni was reelected to a second five-year term in March 2001. Parliamentary elections were held in June 2001, and more than 50% of contested seats were won by newcomers. Movement supporters nevertheless remained in firm control of the legislative branch. Observers believed that the 2001 presidential and parliamentary elections generally reflected the will of the electorate; however, both were marred by serious irregularities, particularly in the period leading up to the elections, such as restrictions on political party activities, incidents of violence, voter intimidation, and fraud.

A Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) issued a report proposing comprehensive constitutional change in December 2003. The government, however, took issue with many CRC recommendations and made counter-proposals in September 2004. A July 2005 national referendum resulted in the adoption of a multiparty system of government and the subsequent inclusion of opposition parties in elections and government.

In February 2006, the country held its first multiparty general elections since President Museveni came to power in 1986. The election generally reflected the will of the people, although serious irregularities occurred. Ruling NRM candidate President Museveni was declared the winner with 59.26% of the vote, giving him a third term in office following the passage of a controversial amendment in June 2005 to eliminate presidential term limits. Opposition FDC leader Kizza Besigye captured 37.39% of the vote, while the remaining contestants received less than 2% of the vote each, according to official figures from the Electoral Commission.

[[Category:African Countries]]
[[Category:Landlocked Countries]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Uganda]]

Uganda

2009-01-02T00:56:55Z

Abey: wikify

The '''Republic of Uganda,''' or '''Uganda,''' is a country in East Africa, bordered to the east by [[Kenya]], on the north by [[Sudan]], to the west by the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Rwanda]] on the southwest, and [[Tanzania]] to the south. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of [[Lake Victoria]], within which it shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania.

==People==
Africans of three main ethnic groups — [[Bantu]], [[Nile|Nilotic]], and [[Ham|Nilo-Hamitic]] — constitute most of the population. The Bantu are the most numerous and include the [[Baganda]], which, with 18% of the population, constitute the largest single ethnic group. Individual ethnic groups in the southwest include the Banyankole and Bahima, 10%; the Bakiga, 8%; the Banyarwanda, 6%; the Bunyoro, 3%; and the Batoro, 3%. Residents of the north, largely Nilotic, include the Langi, 6%, and the Acholi, 4%. In the northwest are the Lugbara, 4%, and the Karamojong, 2%, occupy the considerably drier, largely pastoral territory in the northeast. The Basoga, 8% and the Bagisu, 5% are among ethnic groups in the East. Europeans, Asians, and Arabs make up about 1% of the population with other groups accounting for the remainder.

Uganda's population is predominately rural, and its population density highest in the southern regions. Until 1972, Asians constituted the largest nonindigenous ethnic group in Uganda. In that year, the Idi Amin regime expelled 50,000 Asians, who had been engaged in trade, industry, and various professions. In the years since Amin's overthrow in 1979, Asians have slowly returned and now number around 30,000. Other nonindigenous people in Uganda include [[Arabs]], Western [[missionary|missionaries]], [[non-governmental organization]] (NGO) [[work]]ers, [[diplomat]]s, and [[business]] people.
*Population (2007): 30.9 million.
*Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 4.0%.
*Ethnic groups: African 99%, European, Asian, Arab 1%.
*Religions (2007): Christian 85%, Muslim 12%, other 2%.
*Languages: English (official); Luganda and Swahili widely used; other Bantu and Nilotic languages.
*Education: Attendance (2000; primary school enrollment, public and private)--89%. Literacy (2003)--70%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate--86/1,000. Life expectancy--45.3 yrs.

==Government==
The 1995 constitution established Uganda as a [[republic]] with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The constitution provides for an executive president, to be elected every 5 years. President [[Yoweri Museveni]], in power since 1986, was elected in 1996 and reelected in 2001 and 2006. Legislative responsibility is vested in the parliament; legislative elections were last held February 2006. There currently are 332 members of parliament, of which 79 are women. The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeals, and the [[Supreme Court]]. [[Parliament]] and the [[judiciary]] have significant amounts of independence and wield significant power.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President and Commander in Chief--Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
*Vice President--Dr. Gilbert Bukenya
*Prime Minister--Apollo Nsibambi
*Foreign Minister--Sam Kutesa
*Minister of Defense--Crispus Kiyonga
*Ambassador to the United States--Perezi K. Kamunanwire

===Political Conditions===
Since assuming power, Museveni and his government have largely put an end to the human rights abuses of earlier governments, initiated substantial economic liberalization and general press freedom, and instituted economic reforms in accord with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and donor governments.

The vicious and cult-like Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which seeks to overthrow the Ugandan Government, has murdered and kidnapped civilians in the north and east since 1986. Although the LRA does not threaten the stability of the government, LRA violence at one time displaced up to 1.7 million people, creating a humanitarian catastrophe, particularly when they were forced into internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for their own protection. The Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF) launched "Operation Iron Fist" against LRA rebels in northern Uganda in 2002 and conducted operations against LRA sanctuaries in southern Sudan with the permission of the Sudanese Government. The Sudanese Government had previously supported the LRA.

There have been significant new developments in this conflict since January 2006. With the signing of the Sudanese "Comprehensive Peace Agreement," the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) was created. To protect this fragile peace from LRA incursions in southern Sudan, Riek Machar, a GOSS Vice President, launched efforts to broker a peace agreement between the Government of Uganda and the LRA in July 2006. Those talks are ongoing and represent the first time there has been meaningful progress in ending this conflict. As a result, many northern Ugandans are leaving the IDP camps and returning to their villages.

In 1998, Uganda deployed a sizable military force to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.), ostensibly to prevent attacks from Ugandan rebel groups operating there. There were widespread allegations that Ugandan military and civilian officials were involved in the illegal exploitation of D.R.C. natural resources. After much international pressure, Uganda withdrew its troops from D.R.C. in June 2003. Relations with the D.R.C., however, continue to be frosty. When the LRA left southern Sudan and relocated to eastern Congo in September 2005, Museveni threatened to enter D.R.C. and go after the LRA if neither Congo nor the UN peacekeepers in the region would take action. The recent peace talks have taken a lot of steam out of those threats, however, and Uganda seems focused on seeing the talks to conclusion.

===Foreign Relations===
The Ugandan Government generally seeks good relations with other nations without reference to ideological orientation. Relations with Rwanda, Congo and Sudan have sometimes been strained because of security concerns. President Museveni has been active in attempts implement a peace agreement Burundi and has supported peace initiatives in Sudan and Somalia.

In the past, neighbors were concerned about Uganda's relationship with Libya, which had supplied military equipment and bartered fuel to Uganda. In addition to its friendly ties to Western nations, Uganda has maintained ties with North Korea. Uganda's has strained relations with Sudan because of past Sudanese support for the LRA. The LRA seeks to overthrow the Uganda Government and has inflicted brutal violence on the population in northern Uganda, including rape, kidnapping, torture, and murder. In 2002 Uganda and Sudan reestablished diplomatic ties and signed a protocol permitting the UPDF to enter southern Sudan and engage the LRA. The protocol must be renewed periodically.

Another rebel group operating in western Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the Rwenzori Mountains, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), emerged as a localized threat in 1996 and inflicted substantial suffering on the population in the area. It has largely been defeated by the UPDF and the affected areas of western Uganda have been secured. Remnants of the ADF remain in eastern Congo.

==Defense==
The Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF)--previously the National Resistance Army--constitutes the armed forces of Uganda. Prior to 2000, U.S. military forces participated with the UPDF in training activities under the African Crisis Response Initiative. U.S. military assistance was terminated in 2000 as a result of the Ugandan incursion into the D.R.C. Following the June 2003 UPDF withdrawal of troops from the D.R.C., the U.S. restarted limited nonlethal military assistance.

==Economy==
Uganda's economy has great potential. Endowed with significant natural resources, including ample fertile land, regular rainfall, and mineral deposits, it appeared poised for rapid economic growth and development at independence. However, chronic political instability and erratic economic management produced a record of persistent economic decline that left Uganda among the world's poorest and least-developed countries.

Since assuming power in early 1986, Museveni's government has taken important steps toward economic rehabilitation. The country's infrastructure--notably its transportation and communications systems that were destroyed by war and neglect--is being rebuilt. Recognizing the need for increased external support, Uganda negotiated a policy framework paper with the IMF and the World Bank in 1987. It subsequently began implementing economic policies designed to restore price stability and sustainable balance of payments, improve capacity utilization, rehabilitate infrastructure, restore producer incentives through proper price policies, and improve resource mobilization and allocation in the public sector. These policies produced positive results. Inflation, which ran at 240% in 1987 and 42% in June 1992, was 5.4% for fiscal year 1995-96 and 5.1% in 2003.

Investment as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 20.3% in 2003 compared to 13.7% in 1999. Private sector investment, largely financed by private transfers from abroad, was 14.9% of GDP in 2002. Gross national savings as a percentage of GDP was estimated at 6.4% in 2003. The Ugandan Government has also worked with donor countries to reschedule or cancel substantial portions of the country's external debts.

Agricultural products supply nearly all of Uganda's foreign exchange earnings, with coffee (of which Uganda is Africa's leading producer) accounting for about 19% and fish 17% of the country's exports in 2002. Exports of non-traditional products, including apparel, hides, skins, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, cut flowers, and fish are growing, while traditional exports cotton, tea, and tobacco continue to be mainstays.

Most industry is related to agriculture. The industrial sector is being rehabilitated to resume production of building and construction materials, such as cement, reinforcing rods, corrugated roofing sheets, and paint. Domestically produced consumer goods include plastics, soap, cork, beer, and soft drinks.

Uganda has about 30,000 kilometers (18,750 mi.), of roads; some 2,800 kilometers (1,750 mi.) are paved. Most radiate from Kampala. The country has about 1,350 kilometers (800 mi.) of rail lines. A railroad originating at Mombasa on the Indian Ocean connects with Tororo, where it branches westward to Jinja, Kampala, and Kasese and northward to Mbale, Soroti, Lira, Gulu, and Kapwach, though the routes west of Kampala and north of Mbale currently are not in use. Uganda's important road and rail links to Mombasa serve its transport needs and also those of its neighbors-Rwanda, Burundi, and parts of Congo and Sudan. An international airport is at Entebbe on the shore of Lake Victoria, some 32 kilometers (20 mi.) south of Kampala.
*GDP (nominal, 2005/2006): $9.4 billion.
*Inflation rate (annual headline or CPI, 2005/2006): 6.6%.
*Natural resources: Copper, cobalt, limestone, phosphate, oil.
*Agriculture: Cash crops--coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, cut flowers, vanilla. Food crops--bananas, corn, cassava, potatoes, millet, pulses. Livestock and fisheries--beef, goat meat, milk, Nile perch, tilapia.
*Industry: Types--processing of agricultural products (cotton ginning, coffee curing), cement production, light consumer goods, textiles.
*Trade: Exports (2005/2006)--$887.5 million: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, electricity, horticultural products, vanilla, cut flowers, remittances from abroad. Major markets--EU, Kenya, South Africa, U.K., U.S. Imports (2005/2006)--$1.99 billion: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies, chemical, cereals. Major suppliers--OPEC countries, Kenya, EU, India, South Africa, U.S.
*Fiscal year: July 1-June 30.

==History==
When Arab traders moved inland from their enclaves along the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa and reached the interior of Uganda in the 1830s, they found several African kingdoms with well-developed political institutions dating back several centuries. These traders were followed in the 1860s by British explorers searching for the source of the Nile River. Protestant missionaries entered the country in 1877, followed by Catholic missionaries in 1879.

In 1888, control of the emerging British "sphere of interest" in East Africa was assigned by royal charter to the Imperial British East Africa Company, an arrangement strengthened in 1890 by an Anglo-German agreement confirming British dominance over Kenya and Uganda. In 1894, the Kingdom of Buganda was placed under a formal British protectorate.

Britain granted internal self-government to Uganda in 1961, with the first elections held on March 1, 1961. Benedicto Kiwanuka of the Democratic Party became the first Chief Minister. Uganda maintained its Commonwealth membership. A second round of elections in April 1962 elected members to a new National Assembly. Milton Obote, leader of the majority coalition in the National Assembly, became prime minister and led Uganda to formal independence on October 9, 1962.

In succeeding years, supporters of a centralized state vied with those in favor of a loose federation and a strong role for tribally-based local kingdoms. Political maneuvering climaxed in February 1966, when Prime Minister Milton Obote suspended the constitution, assumed all government powers, and removed the ceremonial president and vice president. In September 1967, a new constitution proclaimed Uganda a republic, gave the president even greater powers, and abolished the traditional kingdoms. On January 25, 1971, Obote's government was ousted in a military coup led by armed forces commander Idi Amin Dada. Amin declared himself president, dissolved the parliament, and amended the constitution to give himself absolute power.

Idi Amin's 8-year rule produced economic decline, social disintegration, and massive human rights violations. The Acholi and Langi ethnic groups were particular objects of Amin's political persecution because they had supported Obote and made up a large part of the army. In 1978, the International Commission of Jurists estimated that more than 100,000 Ugandans had been murdered during Amin's reign of terror; some authorities place the figure much higher.

In October 1978, Tanzanian armed forces repulsed an incursion of Amin's troops into Tanzanian territory. The Tanzanian force, backed by Ugandan exiles, waged a war of liberation against Amin's troops and Libyan soldiers sent to help him. On April 11, 1979, Kampala was captured, and Amin fled with his remaining forces.

After Amin's removal, the Uganda National Liberation Front formed an interim government with Yusuf Lule as president. This government adopted a ministerial system of administration and created a quasi-parliamentary organ known as the National Consultative Commission (NCC). The NCC and the Lule cabinet reflected widely differing political views. In June 1979, following a dispute over the extent of presidential powers, the NCC replaced Lule with Godfrey Binaisa. In a continuing dispute over the powers of the interim presidency, Binaisa was removed in May 1980. Thereafter, Uganda was ruled by a military commission chaired by Paulo Muwanga. December 1980 elections returned the UPC to power under the leadership of President Obote, with Muwanga serving as vice president. Under Obote, the security forces had one of the world's worst human rights records. In their efforts to stamp out an insurgency led by Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA), they laid waste to a substantial section of the country, especially in the Luwero area north of Kampala.

Obote ruled until July 27, 1985, when an army brigade, composed mostly of ethnic Acholi troops and commanded by Lt. Gen. Basilio Olara-Okello, took Kampala and proclaimed a military government. Obote fled to exile in Zambia. The new regime, headed by former defense force commander Gen. Tito Okello (no relation to Lt. Gen. Olara-Okello), opened negotiations with Museveni's insurgent forces and pledged to improve respect for human rights, end tribal rivalry, and conduct free and fair elections. In the meantime, massive human rights violations continued as the Okello government murdered civilians and ravaged the countryside in order to destroy the NRA's support.

Negotiations between the Okello government and the NRA were conducted in Nairobi in the fall of 1985, with Kenyan President Daniel Moi seeking a cease-fire and a coalition government in Uganda. Although agreeing in late 1985 to a cease-fire, the NRA continued fighting, seized Kampala in late January 1986, and assumed control of the country, forcing Okello to flee north into Sudan. Museveni's forces organized a government with Museveni as president and dominated by the political grouping called the National Resistance Movement (NRM or the "Movement").

A referendum was held in March 2000 on whether Uganda should retain the Movement system, with limited operation of political parties, or adopt multi-party politics. Although 70% of voters endorsed retention of the Movement system, the referendum was widely criticized for low voter turnout and unfair restrictions on Movement opponents. Museveni was reelected to a second five-year term in March 2001. Parliamentary elections were held in June 2001, and more than 50% of contested seats were won by newcomers. Movement supporters nevertheless remained in firm control of the legislative branch. Observers believed that the 2001 presidential and parliamentary elections generally reflected the will of the electorate; however, both were marred by serious irregularities, particularly in the period leading up to the elections, such as restrictions on political party activities, incidents of violence, voter intimidation, and fraud.

A Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) issued a report proposing comprehensive constitutional change in December 2003. The government, however, took issue with many CRC recommendations and made counter-proposals in September 2004. A July 2005 national referendum resulted in the adoption of a multiparty system of government and the subsequent inclusion of opposition parties in elections and government.

In February 2006, the country held its first multiparty general elections since President Museveni came to power in 1986. The election generally reflected the will of the people, although serious irregularities occurred. Ruling NRM candidate President Museveni was declared the winner with 59.26% of the vote, giving him a third term in office following the passage of a controversial amendment in June 2005 to eliminate presidential term limits. Opposition FDC leader Kizza Besigye captured 37.39% of the vote, while the remaining contestants received less than 2% of the vote each, according to official figures from the Electoral Commission.

[[Category:African Countries]]
[[Category:Landlocked Countries]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Uganda]]

Lou Dobbs

2009-01-02T00:42:35Z

Abey: /* Political views */ wikify

[[Image:Dobbs.jpg|left]]
'''Lou Dobbs''' (b. Childress, [[Texas]]; September 24, 1945 ) is an [[American]] [[journalist]] and [[columnist]]. He is the [[CNN]] anchor and managing editor for ''Lou Dobbs Tonight''. Dobbs was originally [[conservative]], but now he describes himself as an "independent populist" critic of the "excesses of [[capitalism]]." He has focused on [[immigration]] for years.

<blockquote>
Dobbs has won almost every award in journalism and he's a best-selling author and columnist. He's an independent populist and the leading media advocate for working men and women, their families, our middle class and the American way of life. <ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/ Lou Dobbs] CNN.
</ref></blockquote>

'''University:''' BA Economics, [[Harvard University]] (1967).

==Political views==
Once a self-described "Lifelong [[Republican]]" and [[fiscal conservative]], Dobbs now considers himself an "[[independent]] [[populist]]" and criticizes what he sees as the "excesses of capitalism." [[Illegal immigration]] is one such excess that he scrutinizes on his television program. He is opposed to amnesty for illegal aliens and advocates enforcement of existing immigration laws, along with a tightening of border security. On trade Dobbs advocates protectionist restrictions in order to protect American industry, and maintain U.S. sovereignty. Positions that are not regularly covered on Dobb's show include a pro-choice stance on [[abortion]], an opposition to [[gun control]] measures, and support for the [[gay agenda]].

== Books ==

* ''Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed Is Shipping American Jobs Overseas'' (2004).
* ''Space: The Next Business Frontier'' (2005).
* ''War on the Middle Class'' (2006). "The middle class is being picked apart and its future mortgaged for the benefit of a small group of powerful American interests," Dobbs says in this book.

Lou is married to Debi Lee Segura (a one-time CNN sports anchor, apparently of [[Mexican]] heritage{{fact}}). They have four children: Chance, Jason, Hilary and Heather. They reside on a 300-acre horse farm in Sussex County, New Jersey.

==See also==
*[[Anderson Cooper]]
*[[Larry King ]]
*[[Sean Hannity]]
*[[Conservative Links]]

== External links ==

*[http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/ Lou Dobbs Tonight]
*[http://www.nndb.com/people/234/000044102/ Lou Dobbs] NNDB.

== References ==

<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT: Dobbs, Lou}}
[[category:broadcasters]]

Populist rhetoric

2009-01-02T00:38:25Z

Abey: Redirecting to Populist

#REDIRECT [[Populist]]

Populist

2009-01-02T00:38:04Z

Abey: New page: '''Populist''' rhetoric is a common tactic among would-be dictators. Politicians who have relied heavily on populist rhetoric include: *Hugo Chavez *Che Guevara *[[E.D...

'''Populist''' rhetoric is a common [[tactic]] among would-be [[dictator]]s. [[Politician]]s who have relied heavily on populist rhetoric include:

*[[Hugo Chavez]]
*[[Che Guevara]]
*[[E.D. Amin]]
*[[Josef Stalin]]
*[[Saddam Hussein]]

[[Barack Obama]] has also used populist appeals (such as less [[law enforcement]] and lower [[tax]]es for the [[middle class]]) in his [[speech]]es. What this portends, only time can tell.

[[Category:Politics]]

Entebbe

2009-01-02T00:32:52Z

Abey:

'''Entebbe''' is a city in [[Uganda]] on the shore of [[Lake Victoria]]. It was the scene of the 1976 [[Entebbe Raid]], wherein [[Israel]]i [[commando]]es stormed an airliner which had been hijacked by terrorists and [[fly|flown]] to Entebbe, where the hijackers received the protection of the Ugandan despot [[E.D. Amin]]. Almost all of the hostages were rescued (one, Mrs Dora Bloch, was away from the main group receiving medical treatment and was subsequently [[murder]]ed by Ugandan soldiers), and the Israeli force suffered only one loss, that of the commanding officer, Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of the future Israeli Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]].

[[Category:African Cities and Towns]]
[[Category:Israel]]
[[Category:Uganda]]

Operation Yonatan

2009-01-02T00:29:47Z

Abey: /* External links */ category Uganda

[[Image:Yoni Netanyahu.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu]]
[[Image:Sayeret_Matkal_logo.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The logo of the Sayeret Matkal]]
'''Operation Yonatan''' was a hostage rescue mission performed by [[Israel]]i [[Sayeret Matkal]] special forces troops on the night of July 3 and early morning of July 4, 1976 to free hostages held on Air France Flight 139 at Entebbe Airport in [[Uganda]]. During the planning and execution stages, the mission had been codenamed '''Operation Thunderbolt''' or '''Operation Thunderball''', but upon completion it was retroactively named ''Yonatan'' in memory of the raid's commander, Lieutenant Colonel '''Yonatan Netanyahu''', the only Israeli soldier killed in the raid, and also the elder brother of [[Benjamin Netanyahu]], who later became Israel's [[Prime Minister]]. The hijacking was a collaborative terrorist operation between the [[PLO]] and the [[President]] of Uganda, [[Idi Amin]].<ref>''What is the story of the IDF's operation to release the hostages from Entebbe in July 1976?'' [http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1967to1991_entebbe.php Palestine Facts] Accessed July 3, 2007</ref>

==The hijack==
The crisis began six days earlier, when two [[Arab|Palestinians]] and two [[Germany|Germans]] (Wilfried Böse and Brigitte Kuhlmann) hijacked an Air France Airbus en route to [[Paris]] from [[Athens]]. The flight had originated in Lod, Israel, and nearly a third of its passengers were Israeli or non-Israeli [[Judaism|Jews]]. Eight minutes after takeoff, the terrorists made their move. One took up station at the front of the first class cabin, two in the tourist compartment, and the fourth, a revolver in one hand and a grenade in the other, entered the flight deck through the unlocked cockpit door. They ordered the pilot to divert the flight to Benghazi, [[Libya]] for refueling, where one passenger, a young woman, convinced the hijackers that she was pregnant and miscarrying, and was released. The plane then took off again and flew south to Entebbe, Uganda, where it landed at 0315hrs local time on the morning of June 28. Upon arrival, the four terrorists (two of whom were members of the '''Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine''', while the two Germans belonged to the [[Baader-Meinhof Gang]]) were joined by three other Arab terrorists. The passengers were kept on the aircraft until 1200hrs, at which point they were transported to the airfield's terminal building.

Idi Amin visited the hostages in the terminal and told them he was working to achieve their release, and that Ugandan soldiers would remain at the terminal to ensure their safety. The following day at 1530hrs, the leader of the terrorists announced the group's demands: fifty-three terrorists<ref>''The Entebbe Rescue Mission'' [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/entebbe.html Jewish Virtual Library] Accessed July 3, 2007</ref> (thirteen held in prisons in [[France]], Germany, [[Kenya]] and [[Switzerland]] and forty in Israeli prisons) were to be released. If they were not, the hostages would be executed starting at 1400hrs on July 1.

==Raid planning==
The woman released at Benghazi was actually an Israeli, known only as Patricia, travelling on a [[Britain|British]] passport, and had caused herself a deliberate injury to fake her miscarriage. [[Mossad]] immediately sent agents to [[London]] to interview her, gaining important information about the terrorists.<ref>'''Roffe-Ofir, Sharon''' ''Special: Mossad took photos, Entebbe Operation was on its way'' [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3269662,00.html Y Net News] Accessed July 3, 2007</ref> [[Ehud Barak]], at the time the Colonel and assistant to the head of intelligence for research and special operations, had spent four months in Uganda and was able to give valuable intelligence about the capabilities of the Ugandan troops guarding the airport. The intelligence gathering was also greatly assisted by the fact that Entebbe airport had been built by an Israeli construction company who still kept the blueprints in Israel.<ref>'''Roffe-Ofir''' op cit</ref> One of the most daring stages of the intelligence gathering involved an unnamed Mossad agent who flew from London to [[Nairobi]] in [[Kenya]]. {{QuoteBox|At Nairobi, he rented a light airplane, flew to Entebbe, and then informed the control tower he had a technical malfunction and had to perform some aerial roundabouts in the air. The Ugandans did not suspect a thing, despite the hijack drama that was unfolding at the airport. The Mossad operative made a couple of rounds and photographed the airport and terminal. Afterwards he told the control tower that he could not land, went back to Nairobi and sent the photos to Israel.<ref>'''Roffe-Ofir''' op cit</ref>}} The photos arrived only a few hours before the Israeli [[commando]] unit took off to commence the rescue.

''Sayeret Matkal'' had been placed on alert within an hour of the hijacking and assembled at Lod Airport in Israel. Israel's Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, convened an emergency meeting of his ministers, including the IDF Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur, who reported that the IDF had no viable plan to rescue the hostages. Uganda was 2,360 miles away, the airline was a French company, and only 1/3 of the passengers were Jewish. Idi Amin was not seeking the release of the hostages and was actually collaborating with the terrorists,<ref>'''Williams, Louis''' ''Entebbe Diary'' [http://groups.msn.com/Israelplace/operationentebbe.msnw Israel Place] Accessed July 3, 2007</ref> which ruled out an early plan requiring commandos to rescue the hostages and then surrender to Ugandan soldiers. To buy time, on July 1 the Israeli government agreed to release their prisoners.

Earlier that day, the PFLP terrorists had released 100 hostages, leaving only the Jewish passengers of the aircraft and the French flight crew (who refused to leave.) Upon receiving word that Israel had agreed to the exchange, the terrorist moved the day of execution back, to July 4. '''Major Muki Betser''' says of this:
{{QuoteBox|The hijackers made a grave mistake – and separated the Israelis and the gentiles... Among the hostages that were released there was also a Jewish French officer, with a phenomenal memory, who provided us with the complete picture. We showed him the blueprints of the airport, and from him we learned where the hostages were being kept, how many terrorists were on the ground, if they were worried by the prospects of a military operation, and what was the ratio between them and the Ugandans. We realized that they were not concerned at all by [the prospect of a] military operation... We understood from him that the terrorists were relaxed and confident in their success. We learned that everything was planned in advance and Idi Amin was kept informed."<ref>'''Roffe-Ofir''' op cit.</ref>}}
By July 2, a plan had been formulated, involving flying a rescue force to Entebbe, overcoming the Ugandan troops and terrorists, and then flying out to Kenya.

A life size mock-up was built of the airport, and Sayeret Matkal began rehearsing the mission. Israeli Air Force [[C-130 Hercules]] crews began rehearsing landing their aircraft in complete darkness - the runway would not be lit on their arrival at Entebbe. Knowing that the aircraft could not be taxied right up to the hostage location, they acquired a Mercedes limousine which they intended to drive off the ramp of the C-130's, and, accompanied by Land Rovers, pass off as a Ugandan V.I.P. convoy. It would not fool the Ugandans for very long, but in the confusion it was hoped it would give the commandos enough time to maintain the element of surprise. The Mercedes they acquired was white, so they painted it black to look more like Amin's own limousine.

The mission required three C-130's to land at Entebbe, with a fourth flying with them in reserve, plus two Boeing 707's which would not be landing at Entebbe. One would serve as a passenger transport for the hostages once they reached Kenya, and the other was converted into a flying medical facility. The rescue force would consist of only 35 commandos, some drawn from the Paratroopers and the Golani Infantry brigade, and some essential support personnel.

[[Image:Yigael Allon.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Former Israeli deputy Prime Minister Yigael Allon, seen from the back, welcomes rescued Air France passengers and crew exiting a Hercules plane at Ben Gurion Airport]]

==The Mission==
At 1320hrs on July 3 the aircraft took off from Lod airport and headed in different directions to fool potential spies; they then flew south at extreme low level to avoid radar detection by [[Soviet]] spy ships and [[Egypt]]ian radar.

By 2230hrs the aircraft had reached Lake Victoria, just a short distance from Entebbe by air, and at 2300hrs on July 23 (Israeli time) the lead aircraft touched down and lowered the cargo ramp. Ten of the commandos exited the still moving plane to set up landing beacons for the other aircraft. Then the black Mercedes and two Land Rovers drove out, flying Ugandan flags; all 35 commandos were dressed in Ugandan Army uniforms. They drove towards the terminal with their lights on at only 40 mph, and had been driving for a minute before any Ugandan sentries challenged them. The vehicles slowed down, then the commandos shot the sentries with silenced weapons; however, one of them released a burst from his own weapon, so Lt. Col. Netanyahu immediately ordered the drivers to head for the terminal at full speed. As they approached, several soldiers and a terrorist could be seen milling about outside in confusion.

The vehicles quickly parked by the control tower adjacent to the old terminal and the commandos jumped out and began their attack. The lone terrorist seen outside ran inside yelling, "The Ugandans have gone nuts - they're shooting at us!" As the Ugandans eventually realised what was happening, they did begin to return fire, and it was at this point that Yonatan Netanyahu was shot.

Within '''three''' minutes of the first C-130 landing, four of the seven terrorists had been killed.<ref>[http://www.combatreform2.com/m113combat.htm Combat Reform 2] Accessed July 3 2007</ref>

Once the terrorists had been eliminated, only the Ugandan soldiers stood in the way of a safe escape. The second C-130 landed six minutes after the first and two [[APC|armored personnel carriers]] (APC's) drove off the cargo ramp and headed to the terminal, where Ugandan resistance was then silenced. Forty-five Ugandan soldiers had been killed. The third C-130 landed a few minutes later, offloading two more APC's; one joined the first two, the second headed off and destroyed 11 MiG-17 fighter jets stationed at the base to prevent the Ugandan Air Force from following them. Fifteen minutes had elapsed from the touch down of the first C-130 landing to the hostages being freed and the area completely secured. A team of Israeli Air Force technicians were already refuelling the C-130's from the airports own supplies, a process that would take well over an hour. At 2352hrs, less than an hour after the first Hercules landed, the C-130 with 106 rescued hostages took off; the last C-130 left Entebbe at 2429hrs, 89 minutes after the first one had landed.<ref>Combat Reform 2 op cit.</ref> Three hostages had been killed by cross-fire during the rescue, and Netanyahu died on board the aircraft he had been evacuated to after his injury.

The freed hostages were taken to Nairobi airport, and then on to Israel. One of the hostages, a 75 year old woman, had earlier been removed from the airport following a choking accident. After the raid, Amin ordered that she be dragged out and executed. Her remains were eventually recovered, dumped in a sugar plantation, in 1979 after the Uganda-Tanzania War led to the overthrow of Amin.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.yoni.org.il/ Yoni] Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu official memorial site
*[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914272,00.html Time Magazine] ''The Rescue: "We Do the Impossible"' July 12 1976 Accessed July 3 2007

[[Category:Terrorism]]
[[Category:Israel]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Uganda]]