Silas Mayunga | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "The artillery wizard" "Mti Mkavu" (Swahili: dry tree) |
| Died | 6 August 2011 Delhi, India |
| Allegiance |  Tanganyika  Tanzania |
| Service/ | Tanganyika Rifles Tanzania People's Defence Force |
| Rank | Lieutenant General  |
| Commands held | 206th Brigade TPDF Task Force TPDF |
| Battles/wars | |
Silas Paul Mayunga (6 August 2011) was a Tanzanian military officer and diplomat.
Mayunga served in the Tanganyika Rifles as a second lieutenant and was stationed in Lugalo. [1] During the Tanganyika Rifles mutiny of January 1964 he was in Tabora. [2]
In October 1978 Uganda, ruled by Idi Amin, invaded and occupied the Kagera Salient in northern Tanzania, initiating the Uganda–Tanzania War. [3] Mayunga, serving as a brigadier in the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF), led a brigade into Kagera after the Uganda Army withdrew. [4] The TPDF invaded Uganda in early 1979, and Mayunga commanded the 206th Brigade as it advanced into the southwestern portion of the country and seized Mbarara. [5] [6] During the war his troops commonly referred to him as "the artillery wizard". [5] After leading forces into Uganda, his men nicknamed him "Mti Mkavu" (Swahili: dry tree) in reference to his perceived durability. [7] Following the capture of Mbarara and Masaka, the TPDF halted to reorganise. [8] On March 21 Mayunga was promoted to major general and given charge of a newly formed "Task Force", [9] a unit consisting of the 206th Brigade and the Minziro Brigade, which was semi-autonomous from the TPDF's main invasion force, the 20th Division, in southeastern Uganda. [8] While the 20th Division attacked Kampala and other major locations, the Task Force advanced north into western Uganda in the following months, engaging Ugandan troops conducting rearguard defensive actions. [10] On 3 June 1979 Mayunga accompanied the Minziro Brigade as it secured the last portion of unoccupied Ugandan territory along the Sudanese border, ending the war. At the frontier, he delivered a short victory speech to his soldiers, telling them, "You've taught Idi Amin a lesson he'll never forget." [11] He was later awarded by the new Ugandan government for his role in overthrowing Amin's regime. [12]
In 1990 Mayunga was appointed as an envoy to Ghana. [13]
Mayunga died on 6 August 2011 at the age of 71 in Delhi, India while undergoing medical treatment. [12] His body was repatriated to Tanzania two days later. [14] Uhuru Stadium in Bukoba was renamed Mayunga Stadium in his honour. [15]
The Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) is the military force of the United Republic of Tanzania. It was established in September 1964, following a mutiny by the former colonial military force, the Tanganyika Rifles. From its inception, it was ingrained in the troops of the new TPDF that they were a people's force under civilian control. Unlike some of its neighbouring countries, Tanzania has never suffered a coup d'état or civil war.
The Uganda–Tanzania War, known in Tanzania as the Kagera War and in Uganda as the 1979 Liberation War, was fought between Uganda and Tanzania from October 1978 until June 1979 and led to the overthrow of Ugandan President Idi Amin. The war was preceded by a deterioration of relations between Uganda and Tanzania following Amin's 1971 overthrow of President Milton Obote, who was close to the President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere. Over the following years, Amin's regime was destabilised by violent purges, economic problems, and dissatisfaction in the Uganda Army.
The Fall of Kampala, also known as the Liberation of Kampala, was a battle during the Uganda–Tanzania War in 1979, in which the combined forces of Tanzania and the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) attacked and captured the Ugandan capital, Kampala. As a result, Ugandan President Idi Amin was deposed, his forces were scattered, and a UNLF government was installed.
Bombo is a town in Luweero District in the Central Region of Uganda.
The Battle of Lukaya was a battle of the Uganda–Tanzania War. It was fought between 10 and 11 March 1979 around Lukaya, Uganda, between Tanzanian forces and Ugandan government forces. After briefly occupying the town, Tanzanian troops and Ugandan rebels retreated under artillery fire. The Tanzanians subsequently launched a counterattack, retaking Lukaya and killing hundreds of Libyans and Ugandans.
David Bugozi Musuguri is a Tanzanian soldier and retired military officer who served as Chief of the Tanzania People's Defence Force from 1980 until 1988.
The Battle of Masaka was a battle of the Uganda–Tanzania War that took place from 23 February to 24 February 1979 in the town of Masaka, Uganda. Following an artillery bombardment, most of the Ugandan government forces fled and Tanzanian and Ugandan rebel forces captured the town.
The Battle of Entebbe was a battle of the Uganda–Tanzania War that took place on 7 April 1979 on the Entebbe peninsula in Uganda between Tanzanian units and Ugandan and Libyan units. The Tanzanians occupied the area, killed hundreds of Libyans, and ended the Libyan airlift in support of the Ugandan Government.
The Battle of Sembabule was a battle of the Uganda–Tanzania War that took place from March to 5/6 April 1979 in the town of Sembabule, Uganda. Tanzania had repulsed a Ugandan invasion in late 1978, and in early 1979 the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) crossed into southern Uganda. The Tanzanians decided shortly thereafter to attack the Ugandan capital, Kampala, and the 205th Brigade was detailed in early March to be sent north from Masaka and then west of the city. Ugandan President Idi Amin declared over radio that his forces were about to surround the TPDF, prompting Tanzanian commanders to dispatch the 205th Brigade to deal with the Uganda Army's Tiger Regiment in Mubende. While moving north, the 205th Brigade encountered the Tiger Regiment at Sembabule, beginning a three-week-long battle. The Tiger Regiment effectively resisted the Tanzanians for some time, prompting a change in command of the 205th Brigade and alterations in its tactics, bringing about the eventual fall of Sembabule to the Tanzanians on 5 or 6 April. The Battle of Sembabule was the longest battle of the war.
John Butler Walden was a Tanzanian military officer. Born in British Tanganyika to a white father and black mother, he enlisted in the King's African Rifles in 1957 after finishing school. He eventually achieved the rank of sergeant and, following Tanganyika's independence, was transferred to the Tanganyika Rifles. In April 1963 he became a lieutenant. He was later promoted to major and held command of a camp in Mafinga. During the Uganda–Tanzania War of 1978 and 1979 Walden served as commander of the 207th Brigade in the Tanzania People's Defence Force with the rank of brigadier. In 1981 he organised the withdrawal of the Tanzanian troops in Uganda. By 1987 he had been promoted to major general and two years later he oversaw an anti-poaching operation. He died in 2002.
In October 1978 Uganda invaded the Kagera Salient in northern Tanzania, initiating the Uganda–Tanzania War. The Ugandans met light resistance and in November President Idi Amin of Uganda announced the annexation of all Tanzanian land north of the Kagera River. The Tanzanians organised a counter-offensive later in November and successfully ejected the Ugandan forces from their country.
The Battle of Karuma Falls was one of the last battles in the Uganda–Tanzania War, fought between Tanzania and Uganda Army troops loyal to Idi Amin on 17 May 1979. Soldiers of the Tanzania People's Defence Force attacked Ugandan forces at the bridge over the Nile River at Karuma Falls. Tanzania's 205th Brigade was tasked with advancing from Masindi to Gulu, taking a route which passed over the Karuma Falls Bridge. The brigade assaulted the crossing on the morning of 17 May with tanks and artillery and one of its battalions ran over the bridge to attack the Ugandan positions. The Ugandans destroyed a TPDF tank, delaying the Tanzanians long enough to board buses and retreat to Gulu. The Tanzanians secured Karuma Falls before capturing Gulu several days later.
During the Uganda–Tanzania War, the Battle of Bombo was fought in April 1979 at the town of Bombo, Uganda, between Tanzanian forces and Ugandan troops loyal to Idi Amin. After cutting the road between Kampala and Bombo, the Tanzanian 201st Brigade led by Imran Kombe was ordered to head north and seize Bombo. The town was mostly defended by retired Nubian officers of the Uganda Army. The Tanzanians attacked cautiously, and under heavy fire were able to proceed into the town and secure it.
During the Uganda–Tanzania War, the Battle of Bondo was fought on 27 May 1979 near the town of Bondo, Uganda, between Tanzanian forces and Ugandan troops loyal to Idi Amin. A band of Uganda Army soldiers opened fire on the Tanzanian Minziro Brigade as it advanced towards Arua, before fleeing in the face of a Tanzanian charge. Several Tanzanians were killed and wounded by their own artillery. It was the last battle of the war. Arua fell without resistance shortly thereafter.
The Battle of Mutukula took place from 21–22 January 1979 near and in the town of Mutukula, Uganda, during the Uganda–Tanzania War. After repulsing a Ugandan invasion of the Kagera Salient in 1978, Tanzanian commanders feared that Ugandan forces stationed upon the high ground in Mutukula, a town located along the Tanzania–Uganda border, still posed a threat to their territory. On the night of 21 January 1979 the Tanzanian 208th Brigade crossed the border and surrounded the town. The following morning it attacked, and the Ugandan garrison—including the Gondo and Suicide Battalions—fled. Afterwards the Tanzanians razed the locale in revenge for the damage wrought by the Ugandans in Kagera.
The Battle of Simba Hills or Battle of Kakuuto was a conflict of the Uganda–Tanzania War that took place over several days in mid-February 1979 around the Simba Hills in southern Uganda, near the town of Kakuuto. Tanzanian troops advanced over the Ugandan border and assaulted the Ugandans' positions, forcing them to retreat.
The Battle of Gayaza Hills or the Battle of Kajurungusi was a conflict of the Uganda–Tanzania War that took place in late February 1979 around the Gayaza Hills and Lake Nakivale in southern Uganda, near the town of Gayaza. Tanzanian troops attacked the Ugandan positions in the hills, and though they suffered heavy casualties in an ambush, they successfully captured the area by the end of the day.
Herman Cornel Lupogo was a Tanzanian military officer and government administrator. After graduating from Makerere University, he enlisted in the Tanzania People's Defence Force in 1965. He held various positions in the army, including head of the National Leadership Academy, and served as a brigadier during the Uganda–Tanzania War of 1978 and 1979. He retired with the rank of major general in 1992, and subsequently worked as a government administrator. He chaired the Tanzania Commission for AIDS from 2001 until 2007, and died in 2014.
Yorokamu Tizihwayo, also known as Y. Tiziriwayho and Yerukamu, was a Ugandan military officer. He served as a high-ranking commander during Idi Amin's rule as Ugandan President, first as the head of the 2nd Paratrooper Battalion and later for the Western Brigade. In the Uganda–Tanzania War (1978–1979), Tizihwayo led the Uganda Army troops which opposed the Tanzania People's Defence Force's advance into western Uganda. Despite being regarded as a talented soldier and considered one of the Tanzanians' more dangerous opponents during the war, he was eventually arrested and executed on alleged treason charges by Amin's State Research Bureau.
The Western Uganda campaign of 1979 was a military operation by Tanzanian forces and allied Ugandan rebels, mainly the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA), against Uganda Army (UA) troops loyal to Ugandan President Idi Amin during the Uganda–Tanzania War. The operation was launched by the Tanzania People's Defence Force's (TPDF) "Task Force", consisting of two brigades, in February 1979 to cover the Tanzanians' western axis of advance into Uganda. After securing the important city of Mbarara against Uganda Army counter-attacks, the TPDF Task Force captured several cities as well as the Kilembe Mines in the Rwenzori Mountains. These operations coincided with an expansion of the separatist Rwenzururu movement, a rebel group that exploited the collapse of the Uganda Army along the Uganda-Zaire border to secure territory and weaponry for itself. From the Rwenzori Mountains, the Task Force advanced to Hoima; there, it combined forces with another Tanzanian force, the 205th Brigade. Together, the TPDF formations advanced to Masindi, capturing it after a battle south of the city. With western Uganda largely under Tanzanian control, the Task Force and 205th Brigade subsequently split up again to capture northwestern and north-central Uganda.