What Is Africa’s Problem

13. Why We Fought a Protracted People's War

THIRTEEN Why We Fought a Protracted People's War This article aims to explain to our people, as well as friends of Uganda elsewhere, the broad strategy of our struggle. It will also outline the progress we have made so far in the liberation war, and deal briefly with the prospects for its successful conclusion. The strategy of the National Resistance Army, which is the armed wing of the National ResistanceMovement, is that of a protracted people 's war. The concept of a protracted people's war is not a new one, but it is not properly understood, particularly in Africa. Nor is the term "strategy" itself, in the technical military sense, alwaysproperly understood . Strategy is often confused with tactics, as if one meant the other. Therefore, before we talk about the progress and prospects of a protracted people's war in Uganda,we shall briefly examine the terms "strategy " and "tactics" and the concept of a protracted people's war itself. We should also be aware of the different kinds of strategy that may be employed to resolve a war situation. Strategy means the methodology one uses to solve a problem as a whole, that is, to solve a problem from A to Z. Tactics, on the other hand, are the methods one uses to solve parts of a problem from A to B or from B to C. In situations like that of Uganda after Obote grabbed power last year, there are four possible strategies to consider. Article published in Resistance News in 1981at the beginning of the war of liberation. ill 112 Why We Fought a Protracted People's War Conventional War Conventional war is the strategy by which large formations of armies slog it out in face-to-face battles following fairly definable and identifiable frontlines. These entail the use of large pieces of modern equipment including artillery, aircraft, and rockets. The degree of sophistication depends on the belligerents. Advanced countries have very sophisticated equipment, while Third World countries have varying degrees of sophisticated equipment depending on their wealth, political systems, and the presence or absence of regional conflicts. But to describe a war strategy as conventional does not mean that it depends only on the sophistication of the weaponry used: it depends also on the nature of the fighting, as pointed out above. Conventional war as a strategy uses tactics of large-scale formations, fighting face-toface battles. Examples of this are World War II and the Arab-Israeli wars of 1948,1956,1967, and 1973. In the case of Uganda, the strategy used by the Tanzania People's Defense Force (TPDF) in the 1978-79 war was that of a conventional war. Two divisions of the TPDF, supported by Uganda freedom fighters moving along two axes, routed Amin's army and drove it up to the Sudanese frontier over a period of eight months. Insurrection This is a strategy where the population, for example, students, soldiers, or workers, stages an uprising against the government and overthrows it. This normally takes a short time, perhaps a couple of days, but it involves a lot of people. This was the strategy used in the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, the Zanzibar Revolution of 1964, and the Congolese Revolution of 1963 against Filbert Youlou. This kind of strategy needs a high degree of coordination. Coup d'Etat A coup d'etat is a strategy where elements of the army seize key installations and take over power in a relatively short time. It normally takes a fewhours to accomplish. This strategy has been the most widely used in African countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Egypt in 1952,and Idi Amin's coup in Uganda in 1971. In the case of Ethiopia, however, the Why We Fought a Protracted People's War 113 officers of the Ethiopian Army, principally those of the Second Division in Asmara, used the method of a "creeping coup" against Haile Selassie and it took them several months to overthrow him. Protracted People's War This is a strategy where popular forces, namely those forces supported by the masses, wage a protracted war against those in power. The elements in power may be colonial or local oppressors. Popular forces may start off with weak military units in terms of numbers, weaponry, and organization, but by using the strategy of a protracted war, they will turn potential into actual strength, thus overcoming their...