The Ugandan Bush War

            Within states, actors often cannot achieve their goals through peaceful processes; sometimes, they resort to violence. Political violence is defined as “the use of force by states or non-state actors to achieve political goals.” (Samuels, 258) There are four main categorizations of political violence: civil wars, revolutions, genocide, and terrorism (Samuels, 259). These types are not easily defined; there are many definitions for each categorization. These broad definitions aren’t always perfect, and have their strengths and weaknesses.

            In December 1980, Uganda held elections, and Milton Obote’s Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party came into power, and Obote was elected president (Uganda). After these elections, there was much unrest within Uganda, largely spreading from Yoweri Museveni, one of Obote’s challengers in the election, and his Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) party. Museveni accused Obote and the UPC of electoral fraud; he then retreated far away from the capitol with his supporters and declared an armed rebellion against Obote and his government (Ottunnu). This was the beginning of the Ugandan Bush War. Museveni joined forces with Yusuf Lule, a former Ugandan president, and created the National Resistance Army (NRA). The violence began in February of 1981, when the NRA attacked a Ugandan military installation. For five years, the violence between Museveni’s National Resistance Army and Obote’s Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) continued (Ottunnu). In 1987, the NRA prevailed, and Museveni assumed the position of president, which he still holds today (UGANDA: Profile). By the end of the war, there were around 500,000 casualties and losses (Bercovitch).

            This instance of political violence, the Ugandan Bush War, fits in one of the four categorizations – it was a civil war. It clearly isn’t terrorism, “threatened or actual use of violence for political purposes…directed particularly against civilian targets,” or genocide, “a coordinated plan seeking to eliminate all members of particular…national groups, through mass murder.” (Samuels, 276) However, there could be some dispute over whether this war was a revolution or a civil war. A civil war is defined as “armed combat within the boundaries of a sovereign state between parties that are subject to common authority at the start of the hostilities.” (Samuels, 259) A revolution is a type of civil war in which the insurgents fight against the state and win, bringing about wholesale political change (Samuels, 269). While Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Army defeated Obote’s government, he did not bring about wholesale political change – in essence, he merely changed the outcome of an election. His rule didn’t revolutionize or drastically change the nation. Thus, the Ugandan Bush War can be categorized as a civil war.

            David J Samuels’ definition of civil war, as previously stated, is “armed combat within the boundaries of a sovereign state between parties that are subject to common authority at the start of the hostilities.” (Samuels, 259) When used to categorize the Ugandan Bush War, it is a good definition. When the war began, Museveni, his supporters, the National Resistance Army, and Obote, his supporters, and the Uganda National Liberation Army were all under the same state government, led by Obote (Uganda). All the violence incurred during the Bush War occurred within Uganda’s borders, and there was definitely armed combat between the NRA and the UNLA – supported by the hundreds of thousands of casualties. The one area Samuels’ definition is lacking is specificity on the outcome of the civil war – about how the insurgents can win, and it can still be a civil war as long as wholesale political change is lacking. A final definition could be “armed combat within the boundaries of a sovereign state between parties that are subject to common authority at the start of the hostilities, with an outcome in which the prevailing party does not bring about wholesale political change.”

Citations

Samuels, David J. Comparative Politics : Pearson. 2012. Print.

"Uganda: The Second Obote Regime (1981-85)." Library of Congress Country Studies. Library of Congress, 1990. Web. 08 Nov. 2012.

Ottunnu, Ogenga. "Causes and Consequences of the War in Acholiland." Conciliation Resources. N.p., 2002. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.

"UGANDA: Profile of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni." IRIN News. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairsr, 15 Feb. 2006. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. 

Bercovitch, Jacob, and Richard Jackson. International Conflict: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Conflicts and Their Management 1945-1955. N.p.: B&J, 1997. Print.