General information
Part of Conflict: Tanzania - Uganda
Date of first stated goals of incompatibility: 1978-11-01
Comment on date of first stated goal of incompatibility: On 1 November Ugandan President Idi Amin went on the air and announced that his government had annexed the Kagera Salient, stating that the new Uganda-Tanzania border was now up to the River Kagera. A Ugandan military spokesman also made a statement, saying that all Tanzanians in the captured area must know that they are under the direct rule of Idi Amin. In fact, Amin had several times in recent years said that the Kagera River was the natural boundary between Uganda and Tanzania rather than the arbitrarily drawn land boundary fixed by Britain and Germany before WW1. After Amin’s radio address, Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere said that: "we do not want to fight him, but now we are going to fight until the snake is out of the house".
While 1 November was thus the date when Amin stated his incompatibility, he did so only after having already launched the invasion. In fact, the dispute had started some weeks prior to there statements. Amin, in order to cover up the troubles within his own army, had claimed that Tanzania had invaded Uganda on 11 October. Then followed a period of confusion, during which Amin issued daily briefs of the supposed fighting until he claimed that the Tanzanian force had been driven out on 25 October. Yet during all this time the only fighting that had taken place was that between Amins own men (see description of the intrastate conflict in Uganda).
In the end, it was thus Uganda that invaded Tanzania. After the rebellious troops had fled across the border into Tanzania’s Kagera Salient in late October, Amin loyalists followed in pursuit. Due to the weak resistance the 3000 strong Ugandan forces had by 29 October managed to occupy the entire Kagera Salient, having killed only a handful of Tanzanian soldiers. The Tanzanian authorities, meanwhile, did not learn of the invasion until 24 hours after it was completed, due to the remoteness of the area and bad communications.
Date of first use of armed force: 1978-11-11
Comment on date of first use of armed force: On 11 November the Tanzanian army launched a counter-attack, attempting to cross the Kagera River.
Even though the invasion as such took place on 29 October, it is unclear if it was at that time specifically intended for seizing the disputed Kagera Salient or if the military action was in fact simply a continuation of the in-fighting within the Ugandan army. Nevertheless, after Amin’s 1 November radio address it became clear that regardless of the initial motivations of the Ugandan army, they now sought to claim the area as Ugandan. Subsequently, the fighting on the 29th is not regarded as part of the interstate conflict between Tanzania and Uganda, but as a part of the intrastate conflict between the Ugandan government and the military faction called “Mbarara-based troops”. The fighting on 11 November is thus coded as the first use of armed force in the interstate conflict.
First Battle Related Death: 1978-11-10
Comment on First Battle Related Death: On 11 November the Tanzanian army launched a counter-attack, attempting to cross the Kagera River.
Even though the invasion as such took place on 29 October, it is unclear if it was at that time specifically intended for seizing the disputed Kagera Salient or if the military action was in fact simply a continuation of the in-fighting within the Ugandan army. Nevertheless, after Amin’s 1 November radio address it became clear that regardless of the initial motivations of the Ugandan army, they now sought to claim the area as Ugandan. Subsequently, the fighting on the 29th is not regarded as part of the interstate conflict between Tanzania and Uganda, but as a part of the intrastate conflict between the Ugandan government and the military faction called “Mbarara-based troops”. The fighting on 11 November is thus coded as the first battle-related death in the interstate conflict.
Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 1978-11-15
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: By 15 November, experts from Kilembe Mines were flown up to Kagera to assist the Ugandan troops in blowing up the bridge across the Kagera River. After positioning the explosives under the bridge while facing a strong Tanzanian front, it was reported that Amins troops withdrew towards the border and watched the bridge blow up with hundreds of Tanzanians troops in pursuit on it.
Conflict issues
Annual information
This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.
1978
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 26 |
| Best | 26 |
| Low | 1 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Tanzania): n/a
Side B (Government of Uganda): n/a
1979
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Government of Tanzania): n/a
Side B (Government of Uganda): n/a
Dyad Archive
This section contains annual information no longer systematically collected by the UCDP.
1978 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: Very little information is available on the death toll in the fighting. This figure is based on eye witnesses describing a Tanzanian counter-attack that failed. Most likely the total death toll was much higher since the fighting continued for some weeks after this attack. A Ugandan soldier writing for an African magazine at the time estimated the total Ugandan death toll to 12 000, but this figure also included deaths in the intrastate conflict in 1979 , when Tanzania supported the rebels against Amins government, wherefore it can not be used.
Comment on Active: The interstate armed conflict between Tanzania and Uganda both began and was terminated in 1978. While the fighting was concentrated to November, the tensions between the two states did not end with the termination of armed force in the contested territory, the Kageria Salient, however. Instead, the conflict was transformed into an internationalised intrastate conflict in Uganda, the following year, with Tanzania supporting the opposition organisations fighting President Idi Amin.
Negotiations: NO
Comment on Negotiations: While the Ugandan invasion of Tanzania relieved a great deal of international attention and a number of actors offered their services as mediators, the parties were reluctant to hold talks and no negotiations were held in 1978.
In fact, Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere on 2 November appealed to the international community not to offer to mediate in the conflict, stating: "We did not want to fight him,[i.e. President Amin] but now we are going to fight until this snake is out of our house."
Victory: YES
Victorious side: A
Comment on Victory: By late November 1978 the Tanzanian troops had managed to push all Ugandan soldiers out of the country, thus re-claiming the Kagera Salient.
However, while Tanzania was able to re-capture its occupied territory, subsequently defeating Uganda, tensions between the two states persisted and in January the following year these tensions led Tanzania to support exiled Ugandan opposition groups in their endeavor to overthrow President Amin (see the section on the intrastate conflict in Uganda).
Comment on Victorious Side: Having sucessfully pushed all Ugandan troops out of Tanzania, the latter found themselves victorious.
Comment on Total Battle Related Deaths: Having sucessfully pushed all Ugandan troops out of Tanzania, the latter found themselves victorious.
Terminated: YES
Type of termination: Victory
Date of termination: 1978-11-29
Comment on Termination: By late November 1978 the Tanzanian troops had managed to push all Ugandan soldiers out of the country, thus re-claiming the Kagera Salient.
However, while Tanzania was able to re-capture its occupied territory, subsequently defeating Uganda, tensions between the two states persisted and in January the following year these tensions led Tanzania to support exiled Ugandan opposition groups in their endeavor to overthrow President Amin (see the section on the intrastate conflict in Uganda).
Comment on Termination Date: On 29 November the OAU envoy confirmed that all Ugandan troops had withdrawn from Tanzanian territory.
However, while Tanzania was able to re-capture its occupied territory, subsequently defeating Uganda, tensions between the two states persisted and in January the following year these tensions led Tanzania to support exiled Ugandan opposition groups in their endeavor to overthrow President Amin (see the section on the intrastate conflict in Uganda).
1979 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
