The Popular Resistance Army, also known as Movement for the Struggle for Political Rights, was a rebel group organized around late 1980 and early 1981 by

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...

to fight against the regime of

Milton Obote Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from British colonial rule in 1962. Following the nation's independence, he served as prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. It was one of the

National Resistance Army The National Resistance Army (NRA), the military wing of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), was a rebel army that waged a guerrilla war, commonly referred to as the Ugandan Bush War or Luwero War, against the government of Milton Obote, and l ...

's predecessors.

History

Museveni disputed the results of the 1980 Ugandan general election, claiming that Obote had only won through fraud. Believing that he could only topple Obote's government by waging a

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactic ...

and fearful that pro-Obote elements were planning his murder, Museveni began to mobilize his supporter network in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

and the rest of the country from December 1980. In secret, he organized the PRA with his bodyguards and a small number of veterans who had served in the disbanded

Front for National Salvation The Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) was a Ugandan rebel group led by Yoweri Museveni. The group factually emerged in 1971, although it was formally founded in 1973. FRONASA, along with other militant groups such as Kikosi Maalum (led by Mil ...

, Museveni's previous rebel group and

private army A private army (or private military) is a military or paramilitary force consisting of armed combatants who owe their allegiance to a private person, group, or organization, rather than a nation or state. History Private armies may form when l ...

. As his group lacked foreign supporters, the PRA and an allied rebel group, the UNLF-AD, opted to risk a raid on a military base to capture weapons to start their insurgency. This plan resulted in the

Battle of Kabamba The Battle of Kabamba (6 February 1981), also known as the First Battle of Kabamba, was the result of an attempt by Popular Resistance Army (PRA) rebels to capture an armoury at the Kabamba Military Barracks, defended by the Tanzania People's Defe ...

; even though the PRA failed to capture a significant amount of guns, it also suffered almost no losses during the battle. Afterwards, it began a low-level insurgency, achieving some small victories but also suffering a number of setbacks such as the

Battle of Kiboga A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. In June 1981, a new rebel coalition was organised, with the PRA and

Yusuf Lule Yusuf Kironde Lule (10 April 1912 – 21 January 1985) was a Ugandan professor and civil servant who served as the fourth president of Uganda between 13 April and 20 June 1979. Early life Yusuf Lule was born on 10 April 1912 in Kampala."Lule, ...

Uganda Freedom Fighters The Uganda Freedom Fighters (UFF), also known as the Buganda Army, was a Ugandan rebel group led by former president Yusufu Lule. Opposed to Milton Obote's government, the group fought in the Ugandan Bush War. By early 1981, the group was based in ...

agreeing to unite as the

National Resistance Movement The National Resistance Movement ( sw, Harakati za Upinzani za Kitaifa; abbr. NRM) has been the ruling party in Uganda since 1986. History The National Resistance Movement (NRM) was founded as a liberation movement that waged a guerrilla ...

(NRM). Museveni was made vice-chairman of the National Resistance Council, the group's political body, and Chairman of the High Command of the

(NRA), the Movement's armed organ.

References

Works cited

* * * * {{refend Rebel groups in Uganda

History

See also

References

Works cited