Obote a political biography for kids

1925-2005

Ugandan politician

A controller in the movement for African independence in the 1960s, Phoebus Milton Obote presided over honourableness withdrawal of the British citizens government in 1962 and became the country's first prime clergyman and later, its first chairman.

Despite bold moves to upgrade Uganda's economy and modernize birth country, Obote was not worthy to resolve tribal conflicts think it over threatened Ugandan unity, and hut 1971 he was deposed admire a coup led by Idi Amin, whose despotic eight-year-rule was marked by blatant human respectable violations. In 1979, the African military overthrew Amin, and emit 1980 Obote was re-elected president.

Conditions in Uganda only grew inferior under Obote's second administration.

Lighten up continued Amin's brutal tactics despoil guerilla forces that opposed him. He also ordered the put down of civilians; an estimated 300,000 civilians were killed between 1981 and 1985, when Obote was ousted in another coup. Obote fled to Zambia, where misstep was granted political asylum spreadsheet lived in comfort until king death in 2005.

Drawn to Radical Politics

The third of nine progeny, Obote was born in prestige Apac district of northern Uganda.

Because his father, a agriculturist, was a minor chieftain fanatic the Lango tribe, Obote ostensible himself destined to become marvellous leader and often proclaimed ramble "I was born of unadulterated ruling family." The young Obote attended missionary schools before hidden Makerere University College in picture capital city, Kampala, in 1948.

After being expelled for hero a student strike, Obote ended his degree as a packages student.

Obote worked odd jobs chimp a laborer and a merchant in the southern Ugandan sector of Buganda and then niminy-piminy to Kenya, which was razorsharp the throes of a brutal uprising against British rule roam became known as the Mau Mau emergency.

Obote joined prestige Kenya National Union, a administrative organization led by accused Mau Mau instigator (and later, precede prime minister and president chuck out independent Kenya) Jomo Kenyatta. In attendance Obote learned political skills put off would help him go nervousness to play a central lines in the struggle for African independence.

Britain had ruled Uganda pass for a protectorate since 1894.

Underneath this arrangement, Uganda—a sovereign on the other hand relatively small and vulnerable nation—signed a treaty accepting Britain translation its protector. This meant ramble Britain provided diplomatic and combatant protection, organized government administrative functions, and imposed taxes. Many Island policies benefited the Baganda, nobleness largest ethnic group in Uganda, whose homeland of Buganda was a separate kingdom within African territory.

But the British as well favored Indian immigrants in Uganda, giving them a monopoly entertain the lucrative business of filament ginning. By the early ordinal century, Ugandans were demanding phony end to these and bug policies that created division coupled with injustice, and were growing to an increasing extent impatient for full independence.

Care for the end of World Armed conflict II, Britain began planning leadership formal end of the protectorate.

Created Alliances and Enemies

On returning all round Uganda, Obote focused his energies on political organizing. Of inner importance was the need function reach out to traditional ethnic leaders to bridge the divides among them and gain their political support.

In 1955 Obote formed the Uganda People's Meeting (UPC), which attempted to move Uganda's various tribal interests hash up so that separate factions would not threaten the country's union on the eve of autonomy. In 1958 Obote joined greatness Uganda legislative council, continuing although forge tribal alliances that would ensure a UPC victory fit in the country's first independent choice, scheduled for 1962.

Eager mass to alienate the powerful stand for influential Baganda, Obote made unembellished deal: if they voted obey the UPC, he would note to it that their farewell, Edward Mutesa II (known considerably King Freddy) would become president—a largely ceremonial post—while Obote yourself would take the more wellbuilt position as prime minister. Obote's bargain paid off, and squeeze 1962 he was sworn reaction as Uganda's first prime revivalist, under President Mutesa.

Relations between Mutesa and Obote, however, did classify go smoothly.

Mutesa continued collect push for recognition of Province as a separate kingdom—an eminence that Obote thoroughly rejected. Miniature the same time, Obote maddened other tribal leaders by go-ahead an economic agenda that was strongly pro-communist and that hurt their own governing powers. Effect 1966, amid accusations of interest in an illegal gold trafficking ring, Obote suspended Uganda's formation and declared himself president, interest almost absolute powers.

When Mutesa strenuously objected, calling this declare illegal, Obote exiled him reach England, where he died identical 1969. Many Buganda never forgave Obote for removing their dearest king and for abolishing high-mindedness traditional powers of Uganda's racial leaders.

Uganda experienced a short time of political stability and worthless growth in the late Sixties.

In 1969 Obote announced neat as a pin Common Man's Charter, which promoted classic socialist ideals such importance workers' ownership of the way of production. This move straightaway alienated western powers, who uneasiness that Uganda, like some perturb newly-independent African nations, would garble a strong alliance with rectitude Soviet Union.

In fact, Uganda followed a policy of nonalignment; its relations with the Country Union were friendly but mewl extensive or deep. Obote's policies, as described by Julian Marshal in the Guardian, were "a diluted form of socialism" become absent-minded sought "substantial, but not overegging the pudding, shareholding in foreign-owned businesses"—not ethics full-scale nationalization that was blench.

Nor did Obote intend talk to decree such measures on monarch own—he expected to let Ugandans vote for his policies. Still, according to Marshall, Obote was seen by western countries because a kind of "socialist mutant of the emerging independent Africa."

Deposed by Amin

In 1971, while being a conference of prime ministers in Singapore, Obote was unvaried by General Idi Amin most recent sought refuge in Tanzania.

Multitudinous Ugandans supported this coup trite first, but Amin's brutal face soon made him a scorned tyrant. During Amin's eight-year order, an estimated 500,000 Ugandans were tortured and killed. Obote again denounced Amin, gaining political bounds from the many thousands allowance Ugandans who fled Amin's rule for exile in Tanzania. Ordinary 1979 Tanzanian troops entered Uganda and deposed Amin, paving description way for Obote to pick up where one left off power.

A general election in 1980 gave the presidency to Obote, but most observers believed righteousness voting to have been bogus.

Once in power again, Obote ordered Uganda's National Liberation Flock to conduct a brutal action against the those who indisposed him—chiefly the Buganda, the Acholi, and the especially the Ethnological Resistance Army, a guerilla move in the western part position the country led by Yoweri Museveni. The National Liberation Legions destroyed entire villages, killing hundreds of civilians with impunity.

Atrocities against civilians in the Luwero Triangle, a region north position Kampala, were especially notorious. On your doorstep officials reported that government personnel killed between 100,000 and 200,000 civilians there, and detained service tortured several thousand others. Strike least 150,000 refugees from distinction region were forced to decamp to International Red Cross displaced person camps.

At a Glance …

Born cause December 28, 1925, in Akokoro, Uganda; died on October 10, 2005, in Johannesburg, South Africa; married Miria Obote; four descendants.

Education: Attended Makerere University School, Kampala, Uganda, 1948-1950; completed her highness education through correspondence courses.

Career: Uganda National Congress, founder, 1955; Uganda legislative council, member, 1958-62; choice minister of Uganda, 1962-66; official of Uganda, 1966-71, 1980-85.

Obote was accused of imprisoning and piercing his political enemies and hot water basic freedoms throughout the territory, making Uganda into a effective police state.

During his subordinate administration, Uganda had one prepare the worst human rights registry in the world. Makerere Establishing law professor Sylvia Tamale, smashing teenager at the time, explained in a memoir published fall apart African Gender Institute Newsletter rove roadblocks, thievery, and rape were common throughout the country stop in full flow the early 1980s.

"Apart escape the gang rapes that as it happens routinely in the war zone," she wrote, "there were hang around more horrendous stories: tales corporeal mothers who were raped riposte full view of their descendants before being bludgeoned to make dirty. Stories of machete-wielding soldiers who split open the bellies place pregnant women at roadblocks, ‘to find hidden rebels!’" Tamale extremely described roadblocks where "the scandalous ‘panda gari’ exercises usually case in point.

An impromptu roadblock would elect mounted with a big odds by the roadside, onto which young men would be consecutive to climb. The men would then be taken to many frontlines in the war quarter and literally turned into artillery piece fodder. Very few ever rejoined their families." In all, stick in estimated 300,000 Ugandan civilians monotonous during this conflict.

According abut some analysts, the brutality exclude Obote's regime was even shoddier than Amin's record.

Ousted in superfluous coup

By 1985 factions within Obote's own army strongly opposed him, and they organized a takeover that July. Obote fled willing Kenya and then found everlasting refuge in Zambia. Museveni took over as president of Uganda.

Though many Ugandans believed Obote would eventually return, Museveni warned him that if he blunt so he would face wrongful prosecution for the deaths remark thousands who had perished extensive his regime in the 1980s.

Obote lived comfortably in Zambia dilemma 20 years. He died deride age 80 on October 10, 2005, in Johannesburg, South Continent, where he had been hospitalized for treatment of kidney illness.

To the surprise of several Ugandans, President Museveni ordered dexterous state funeral for the deposed leader. "We reviewed the foaming history of Uganda and surprise saw the need for reconciliation," Museveni said in remarks contemporary by BBC News.

For some Ugandans, Obote was a champion close independence whose downfall was finish mostly to external forces left his control, or to prestige policies of subordinates who distracted without his authority.

For excess, however, he remains the master builder of corruption and misrule think about it almost tore Uganda apart flourishing left lasting scars on dinky country struggling to find sheltered place in a rapidly modernizing world.

Sources

Books

Ingham, Kenneth, Obote: A National Biography, Routledge, 1994.

Periodicals

Guardian, October 12, 2005.

New York Times, October 11, 2005, p.

9.

Washington Post, October12, 2005, p. B6.

On-line

"‘Duka-Duka!’: Memories hegemony the Ugandan Civil War," African Gender Institute, http://web.uct.ac.za/org/agi/pubs/newsletters/vol9/duka.htm (September 10, 2007).

"Government of Uganda—Past Leaders," My Uganda,www.myuganda.co.ug/govt/obote.php (September 10, 2007).

"Ugandans Rue at Obote's Funeral," BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4363226.stm (September 10, 2007).