David Oyite-Ojok
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David Oyite Ojok (April 15, 1940 – December 2, 1983) was a Ugandan Major General who held one of the command leadership positions in the coalition between Uganda National Liberation Army and Tanzania People's Defence Force that removed Idi Amin in 1979. Oyite Ojok was chief of staff of the Ugandan national army until his death in a helicopter crash in December 1983.
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[edit] Early Military Career
Little is known about Oyite Ojok’s early military career. He served as a junior army officer during Milton Obote’s first government between 1966 and 1971. When Idi Amin overthrew Obote in 1971, Oyite Ojok was amongst the army officers who fled to neighbouring Tanzania. In 1979 when Idi Amin invaded Tanzania, Oyite Ojok was one of the exiled Ugandan army officers with the backing of Tanzania troops who led the war that led to the overthrow of Idi Amin.
[edit] After Idi Amin
Oyite Ojok’s role in Uganda’s politics became significant in 1979 when Idi Amin was finally overthrown. Although fiercely independent, Oyite Ojok remained loyal to Obote who was preparing to return to Uganda. Oyite Ojok was a member of the Military Commission, a powerful sub-committee of the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) which ruled Uganda after Idi Amin’s overthrow. Other members of the Military Commission included Yoweri Museveni, Paulo Muwanga and Tito Okello.
The alliance of political forces in the UNLF under President Yusuf Lule soon began to unravel. Of significant importance was the emergence of tribal rivalry. On the one side were those from the North who made up the bulk of the new national army, and on the other those from the South (particularly those from the Buganda tribe) who for the first time since 1964 had significant political and military influence.
Northern army officers like the then Army Chief of Staff, Oyite Ojok had ensured that the new national army was overwhelming made up of men from Northern Uganda. For most northerners their political symbol was the Uganda Peoples Congress party and Milton Obote who was still in exile in Tanzania. The possible return of Milton Obote was opposed by many within the UNLF, particularly those from Buganda who recalled that it was Obote who had dethroned their King (the Kabaka) and forced him into exile in 1966. It is widely believed that it was this opposition to Obote’s return and the growing influence of the northern dominated army that led to the removal of Yusuf Lule from the Presidency after only 2 months in office. Yusuf Lule had also tried to extend his very limited presidential powers in the UNLF.
Yusuf Lule was replaced by another Muganda, Godfrey Binaisa who was seen as more of a figure-head. Real power now lay in the Military Commission, and with Oyite Ojok. The UNLF became more militaristic in appearance as army officers like Ojok became actively involved in politics, and the quasi-legislative National Commission and government ministers became less significant. On the ground the army became more brutal, particularly in Buganda and other areas of Southern Uganda. And most significantly, the Uganda Peoples Congress with its military allies began to actively organise and call for the return of Obote.
A significant event happened in May 1980 when the ‘figure-head’ president Godfrey Binaisa dismissed Oyite Ojok from his position as Army Chief of Staff in an attempt to reduce the power of the Military Commission. In response the Military Commission removed Binaisa from office, and declared the country would be ruled by a Presidential Commission which included Muwanga, Museveni, Oyite-Ojok and Tito Okello. Although as Chairman, Paulo Muwanga presented the face of the Commission, real power was held by Oyite Ojok.
[edit] The Return of Milton Obote
The Presidential Commission now paved the way for the return of Milton Obote, and organised what is widely regarded as a rigged election in December 1980. These elections resulted in ‘victory’ for Obote’s Uganda Peoples Congress and Obote became president of Uganda for the second time. Obote appointed Oyite Ojok as Army Chief of Staff. Yoweri Museveni who had formed a rival political party the Uganda Patriotic Front disputed the result and started a guerrilla war against the government.
As Army Chief Of Staff, Oyite Ojok was responsible for attempting to defeat the guerrilla armies of Yoweri Museveni – the National Resistance Movement (NRA) and of Andrew Kayiira – the Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) that were fighting to overthrow Obote’s government. With his military experience during the war that overthrew Idi Amin, Oyite Ojok proved very effective against these groups. However this was done with both military tact and brutality against the population in areas where the guerrilla forces operated. This was most prevalent in the Luwero District where the NRA was active and in the capital city, Kampala where the UFM was based.
In Luwero, thousands of civilians were murdered by the army – especially in an area called the ‘Luwero Triangle’. In Kampala, the army and secret police carried out numerous random arrests which often involved arresting hundreds of people and loading them onto trucks which were then driven to army barracks. This phenomenon was called ‘Panda Gari’ (‘Load the Truck’) and it instilled widespread fear in the capital as many of those taken to army barracks were beaten or killed.
The NRA and UFM had adopted different tactics. The UFM preferred to operate in urban areas like Kampala and carried out spectacular attacks on government installations. This however left them vulnerable to counter attacks from the army which would simply cordon off a suburb and brutalise its residents until the guerrillas were revealed. This climate of fear plus the UFM’s lack of a credible political ethos meant Oyite Ojok’s army had effectively defeated them in 2 years.
The NRA preferred the rural areas and fought a ‘bush war’ which involved hit and run tactics against army patrols and vehicles. Yoweri Museveni also developed a very effective political wing and vision. Having mostly defeated the UFM, Oyite Ojok concentrated his efforts in Luwero and had measured success against the NRA. It is widely believed that by early 1983. Museveni had left the country for Sweden. However the military and political organisation of the NRA remained in place.
The war with the NRA eventually began to crack the military and brought to fore rivalry between the two northern tribes that dominated the army -the Langi (Obote and Oyite Ojok’s tribe) and the Acholi (Tito Okello – the Army Commander’s tribe). The majority of the army foot soldiers were Acholi and it was they who suffered most casualties in the war, and it is rumoured that they wanted to engage in peace talks with the guerrillas. Meanwhile, the elite Special Forces and most of the officers closest to Obote were Langi – and were fiercely opposed to any negotiations with the NRA. This rivalry came to a head on the death of Oyite-Ojok in a helicopter crash in December 1983.
[edit] Death
The helicopter crash that killed Oyite Ojok has never been explained. However his death is more important for the political ramifications it caused in Uganda. The Acholi officers now expected Obote to appoint an Acholi to replace Oyite Ojok. One obvious candidate was Bazilio Olara-Okello (no relationship to Tito Okello) – another officer (like Oyite Ojok) involved the war that overthrew Idi Amin. Instead, Obote appointed a junior Langi officer, Smith Apon-Achak. This further alienated the Acholi officers who overthrew Obote’s government two years later.
