Uganda: Today in History - Idi Amin Expels British Military Advisers From Uganda

President Idi Amin ordered the immediate expulsion of the British Military Advisory Team from Uganda on September 14, 1972, ending Britain's direct military advisory role in the country and marking another sharp deterioration in relations between Kampala and London.

The decision came just weeks after Amin ordered the expulsion of Asians holding British passports from Uganda. On August 4, he gave thousands of Asians 90 days to leave the country, triggering a major diplomatic confrontation with the government of British Prime Minister Edward Heath.

When Amin seized power in January 1971, Britain had initially maintained relatively cordial relations with his government. British military advisers remained in Uganda to help train and reorganise the Uganda Army. By 1972, however, Amin had increasingly turned away from Western powers.

His government had expelled Israeli advisers and moved closer to Libya under Muammar Gaddafi and the Soviet Union after Western countries declined to provide the heavy weapons and fighter aircraft Amin wanted.

The president also became increasingly suspicious of the British military personnel still operating in Uganda. Amid reports and rumours that Britain could support an intervention against his government or assist forces loyal to former president Milton Obote operating from Tanzania, Amin came to regard the British advisers as a potential security threat rather than military trainers.

On September 14, he ordered the British military team to leave, accusing the mission of interference and subversion and declaring that Uganda would no longer depend on imperialist powers to organise its defence forces.

The expulsion effectively ended formal British defence cooperation with Amin's government. Britain subsequently tightened restrictions on military exports to Uganda and reduced aspects of its diplomatic and economic engagement with Kampala.

The move also accelerated Uganda's shift towards Libya and the Soviet Union for military assistance. Soviet instructors and equipment became increasingly important to Amin's armed forces in the years that followed, including the acquisition of MiG fighter aircraft and other heavy military hardware.

The timing was significant. Within days of the expulsion, fighting intensified along Uganda's southern border as forces opposed to Amin attempted to enter the country from Tanzania. Amin used the conflict to further tighten his grip on power and pursue suspected opponents within the military and state.

British military personnel would eventually return to Uganda, but under very different circumstances. After Amin was overthrown in April 1979, British-led Commonwealth military assistance returned during Milton Obote's second government. A Commonwealth Military Training Team arrived in 1982 to help train and professionalise the Uganda National Liberation Army.

After Yoweri Museveni came to power in 1986, British military involvement continued in a more limited form through training, professional development and security cooperation rather than the advisory presence that Amin had expelled in 1972.

Read the original article on Nile Post.