UGANDA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00875R001100100001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 8, 2005
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 25, 1971
• Content Type: IM

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OCI No. 0951/71
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
25 January 1971
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
Uganda
;Situation as of 1300 EST)
1. After a night of sporadic fighting in the
capital city of Kampala, it is now apparent that an
army coup, headed by Major General Idi Amin, Uganda's
senior military leader, has ousted President Milton
Obote. Around mid-day today Radio Uganda began
broadcasting st,a.tements, allegedly from Amin, that
he is responsible 'for ousting Obote and will head a
new government. Obote himself is en route home from
the Commonwealth Conference and is expected momen-
tarily in Nairobi.
2. Press reports and the few official commu-
nications that have been received thus far indicate
that the fighting in Kampala has subsided, but there
is almost nothing to indicate what is happening
elsewhere in the country. A curfew has been imposed
in Kampala. Troops loyal to Amin are reportedly in
control of key points in Kampala and Uganda's main
airport at nearby Entebbe.
3. According to radiobroadcasts, Amin claims
to have acted for a variety of reasons, among which
are the desire to rid the country of corrupt offi-
cials, to bring about a return to free elections,
and to restore public confidence in the government.
Amin describes his government as merely a caretaker
administration and says he intends to return the
government to civilian hands in due course.
4. Circumstances surrounding the takeover
are still obscure. It is not clear how solid Amin's
position is. According to the radio, the head of
the national police, General Oryema, has pledged his
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support and apparently Xi ll_ be 7 member of the new
"military government."
5. The extent of Anin's support'-within the
military remains to be seen. The army has been
highly undisciplined and shot through with personal
and tribal factionalism. Amin has been at odds
with other senior officers who lead major tribal
factions within the army, and he may have acted
with only a relatively small number of loyal officers
and men. As a former NCO, Amin has been popular with
enlisted men but not with the officer corps. These
factors could keep the situation highly unstable
for some time.
6. Amin himself has been a controversial
figure over the past few .years. He has frequently
voiced his loyalty to Obote, but their relationship
has sometimes been strained. Since September Amin
has been nursing grievances -against the president,
arising largely from a reshuffle of the army high
command which reduced Amin's authority. This action
may have prompted Amin to begin plotting.
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