page_title: Battle of Kampala
section_title: Course of the war
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Kampala / Aftermath / Course of the war
caption_attribution_description: English: Cropped version of picture of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House, October 1987.
context_page_description: The Battle of Kampala was a battle of the Ugandan Bush War that took place from 17 to 26 January 1986 in which forces of the National Resistance Army attacked and captured the Ugandan capital, Kampala, from the Uganda National Liberation Army. As a result, the Ugandan government was deposed and replaced by a new one under NRA leader Yoweri Museveni.
  In 1981 Museveni initiated an insurgency in Uganda against the government, which was controlled by the Uganda National Liberation Front. He soon joined the nascent National Resistance Movement and took control of its armed wing, the NRA. In 1985 the NRA inflicted several key defeats on the UNLF's armed wing, the UNLA, leaving the Ugandan capital, Kampala, vulnerable to attack. Feeling pressured, the UNLF government led by President Tito Okello pursued negotiations with the NRM. The resulting peace agreement failed to end the conflict, and Okello amassed a large force of UNLA troops and allied militias to garrison Kampala in preparation for an attack, though its effectiveness was weakened by low morale, internal friction, and subterfuge. On 17 January 1986 the NRA began advancing on Kampala.
context_section_description: Overall, about 20 NRA and 80 UNLA/FUNA soldiers were killed in the fighting, while nearly 3,000 UNLA troops were captured. Most of the UNLA casualties were incurred as troops were shot while attempting to abandon their positions at Radio Uganda and Uganda Television and flee towards Kololo. About 9,000 UNLA soldiers and their families managed to escape from Kampala. Many of these troops retreated towards Jinja and Gulu, looting as they fled. Buildings along Kampala Avenue, the main road in the city, were left heavily damaged by the battle. Unlike previous military takeovers in Kampala, the NRA soldiers did not loot in the city. Following the battle, the NRA's 5th Battalion and one platoon from the 3rd Battalion captured Entebbe.
  On 29 January Museveni was sworn in as President of Uganda in front of the Parliament building with a crowd of tens of thousands in attendance. In his inaugural address, he promised to support national unity, public security, and democracy, pledging that his government would schedule elections as soon as possible. His appointed cabinet consisted mostly of NRM members and civil servants. Despite Museveni's promises, many northerners in Kampala—viewed as beneficiaries of the Obote and Okello regimes—especially Acholi and Lango people, were subject to abuse and discrimination following the NRA's takeover; some were killed in the streets or forced out of their jobs or homes. Several NRA soldiers stole automobiles from them. Other northerners fled from the repression to their lands of origin. Museveni condemned the violence.
  Museveni's government sent an emissary to Sudan to entreat Okello to order the remaining UNLA forces to surrender, but he stated that he no longer controlled them. The NRA subsequently attacked Jinja, capturing it by late January, followed by Tororo in early February. At this point, UNLA attempted one last time to stem the rebel advance by launching a counter-attack against Tororo and fortifying the crossings of the Nile to prevent the NRA from advancing into northern Uganda. Nevertheless, Museveni's forces inflicted further defeats on the UNLA in late February and early March, resulting in the complete collapse of the latter. A presidential election was not held in the country until 1996; Museveni won by a large margin.
caption: NRA leader Yoweri Museveni (pictured in 1987) was sworn in as President of Uganda following the Battle of Kampala.
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