Editing Uganda People's Defence Force (section)

==History==
{{main|Military history of Uganda}}
The origins of the Ugandan armed forces can be traced to 1902, when the Uganda Battalion of the [[King's African Rifles]] was formed. Ugandan soldiers fought as part of the [[King's African Rifles]] during the [[First World War]] and [[Second World War]].{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} As Uganda moved toward independence, the army stepped up recruitment, and the government increased the use of the army to quell domestic unrest.<ref name="loc" /> The army became more closely involved in politics, setting a pattern that continued after independence.<ref name="loc" /> In January 1960, for example, troops were deployed to Bugisu and [[Bukedi District|Bukedi]] districts in the east to quell political violence.<ref name="loc" /> In the process, the soldiers killed 12 people, injured several hundred, and arrested more than 1,000.<ref name="loc" /> A series of similar clashes occurred between troops and demonstrators, and in March 1962 the government recognized the army's growing domestic importance by transferring control of the military to the Ministry of Home Affairs.<ref name="loc" />

===First post-independence military, 1962–1971===
{{main|Uganda Army (1962–1971)}}
On 9 October 1962, Uganda became independent from the United Kingdom, with the 4th Battalion, [[King's African Rifles]], based at [[Jinja, Uganda|Jinja]], becoming the Uganda Rifles.<ref>J.M. Lee, 1969, 40.</ref> The traditional leader of the [[Baganda]], [[Edward Mutesa]], became president of Uganda.<ref name=loc/> [[Milton Obote]], a northerner and longtime opponent of autonomy for the southern kingdoms including Buganda, was prime minister.<ref name="loc" /> Mutesa recognized the seriousness of the rank-and-file demands for Africanising the officer corps, but was more concerned about the potential northern domination of the military, a concern that reflected the power struggle between Mutesa and Obote.<ref name="loc" /> Mutesa used his political power to protect the interests of his Baganda constituency and refused to support demands for Africanisation of the officer ranks.<ref name="loc" />

On 1 August 1962, the Uganda Rifles was renamed the "Uganda Army".<ref>Omara-Otunnu 1987, 52.</ref> The armed forces more than doubled, from 700 personnel to 1,500, and the government created the 2nd Battalion stationed at the northeastern town of [[Moroto Town|Moroto]]<ref name="loc" /> on 14 November 1963.<ref name="Ghosts of Kampala">{{Cite book|last1=Smith|first1=George Ivan|title=Ghosts of Kampala|last2=Smith|first2= George Ivan|date=1980|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-32662-3|location=New York}}</ref> Omara-Otunnu wrote in 1987 that "a large number of men had been recruited into the Army to form this new battalion, and ... the new recruits were not given proper training" because the Army was already heavily committed to its various operations.<ref>Omara-Otunnu, 1987, 54.</ref>

In January 1964, following a mutiny by [[Tanganyika (1961–1964)|Tanganyika]]n soldiers in protest over their own Africanisation crisis, unrest spread throughout the Uganda Army.<ref name="loc" /> On 22 January 1964, soldiers of the 1st Battalion in Jinja mutinied to press their demands for a pay raise and a Ugandan officer corps.<ref name="loc" /> They also detained their British officers, several non-commissioned officers, and Minister of Interior [[Felix Onama]], who had arrived in Jinja to represent the government's views to the rank and file.<ref name="loc" /> Obote appealed for British military support, hoping to prevent the mutiny from spreading to other parts of the country.<ref name="loc" /> About 450 British soldiers from the [[History of the Scots Guards (1946–present)|2nd Battalion, The Scots Guards]] and Staffordshire Regiment (elements of the [[24th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|24th Infantry Brigade]]) responded.<ref name="loc" /> They surrounded the First Battalion barracks at Jinja, seized the armory, and quelled the mutiny.<ref name="loc" /> The government responded two days later by dismissing several hundred soldiers from the army, several of whom were subsequently detained.<ref name="loc" />

Although the authorities later released many of the detained soldiers and reinstated some in the army, the mutiny marked a turning point in civil–military relations.<ref name="loc" /> The mutiny reinforced the army's political strength.<ref name="loc" /> Within weeks of the mutiny, the president's cabinet also approved a military pay raise retroactive to 1 January 1964, more than doubling the salaries of those in private to staff-sergeant ranks.<ref name="loc" /> Additionally, the government raised defense allocations by 400 percent.<ref name="loc" /> The number of Ugandan officers increased from 18 to 55.<ref name="loc" /> Two northerners, [[Shaban Opolot]] and [[Idi Amin]], assumed command positions in the Uganda Army and later received promotions to Brigadier and commander in chief, and army chief of staff, respectively.<ref name="loc" />

Following the 1964 mutiny, the government remained fearful of internal opposition.<ref name="loc" /> Obote moved the army headquarters approximately {{convert|87|km|mi}} from Jinja to Kampala.<ref name="loc" /> He also created a secret police force, the [[General Service Unit (Uganda)|General Service Unit]] (GSU) to bolster security.<ref name="loc" /> Most GSU employees guarded government offices in and around Kampala, but some also served in overseas embassies and other locations throughout Uganda.<ref name="loc" /> When British training programs ended, Israel started training Uganda's army, air force, and GSU personnel.<ref name="loc" /> Several other countries also provided military assistance to Uganda.<ref name="loc" />

Decalo writes:<ref>Herbert Howe, Ambiguous Order: Military Forces in African States, 2005, 50, citing Samuel Decalo. Coups and Army Rule in Africa, Yale University Press (1990). {{ISBN|0-300-04045-8}}, p.205</ref>
<blockquote>
using classic 'divide and rule' tactics, he [Obote] appointed different foreign military missions to each battalion, scrambled operational chains of command, played the police off against the army, encouraged personal infighting between his main military 'proteges' and removed from operational command of troops officers who appeared unreliable or too authoritative.
</blockquote>

When Congolese aircraft bombed the West Nile villages of [[Paidha]] and [[Goli, Uganda|Goli]] on 13 February 1965, Obote again increased military recruitment and doubled the army's size to more than 4,500.<ref name="loc" /> Units established included a third battalion at [[Mubende]], a signals squadron at Jinja, and an antiaircraft detachment.<ref name="loc" /> On 1 July 1965, six units were formed: a brigade reconnaissance, an army ordnance depot (seemingly located at [[Magamaga]]),<ref>[[Tony Avirgan and Martha Honey]], ''War in Uganda'', [[Zed Books|Zed Press]], London, UK, 1982, 31.</ref> a brigade signals squadron training wing, a records office, a pay and pensions office, and a Uganda army workshop.<ref>Amii Omara-Otunnu, ''Politics and the Military in Uganda 1890–1985'', [[St. Martin's Press]], New York, 1987, 72</ref><ref name="loc" />

[[File:Uganda Army OT-64 APC.jpg|thumb|A Uganda Army [[OT-64 SKOT]] armoured personnel carrier during a military parade in Kampala in the late 1960s]]
Tensions rose in the power struggle over control of the government and the army and over the relationship between the army and the Baganda people.<ref name="loc" /> During Obote's absence on 4 February 1966, a motion opposing him was introduced to parliament by [[Grace Ibingira]], which called to suspend Amin and investigate Obote and three others (including Amin) for supposedly accepting gold and ivory from Congolese rebels.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lindemann |first1=Stefan |title=Exclusionary elite bargains and civil war onset: The case of Uganda |url=https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/120530/WP76.2.pdf}}</ref> On 22 February, Obote arrested Ibingira and four other ministers, essentially dismantling opposition to himself in the [[Ugandan People's Congress]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Amor |first1=Meir |title=State Persecution and Vulnerability: A Comparative Historical Analysis of Violent Ethnocentrism |url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/12677/1/nq41006.pdf}}</ref> Later, Amin was appointed Chief of the Army and Air Force Staff, while Brigadier Opolot was demoted to the Ministry of Defence as Chief of the Defence Staff.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Holan |first1=James |title=Amin: his seizure and rule in Uganda |url=https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3600&context=theses |website=scholarworks.umass.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Amor |first1=Meir |title=State persecution and vulnerability, a comparative historical analysis of violent ethnocentrism |url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/12677/1/nq41006.pdf}}</ref> On 24 May 1966, Obote ousted Mutesa, assumed his office as president and commander in chief, suspended the 1962 constitution, and consolidated his control over the military by eliminating several rivals.<ref name="loc" /> In October 1966 Opolot was dismissed from the army and detained under the emergency regulations then in force.

At about the same time, Obote abrogated the constitution, revoked Buganda's autonomous status, and instructed the Army to [[Battle of Mengo Hill|attack the Kabaka's palace]], forcing the Kabaka to flee. Elections were cancelled. Political loyalty rather than military skill became critical amongst both officers and men.<ref>E.A. Brett, "Neutralising the Use of Force in Uganda", ''[[Journal of Modern African Studies]]'', Vol. 33, No. 1 (Mar., 1995), 136.</ref> Many educated southern officers were court-martialled or dismissed in 1966 and 1967, and ethnicity became the key factor in recruitment and promotions.

In 1970, the [[International Institute for Strategic Studies]] (IISS) assessed the Ugandan armed forces to consist of 6,700 personnel, constituting an army of 6,250 with two brigade groups, each of two battalions, plus an independent infantry battalion, with some [[Ferret armoured car]]s, and [[BTR-40]] and [[BTR-152]] armoured personnel carriers, plus an air arm of 450 with 12 [[Fouga Magister]] armed jet trainers, and seven [[MiG-15]]s and [[MiG-17]]s.<ref>IISS Military Balance 1970–71, p. 53</ref>

===Uganda Army of Idi Amin, 1971–1979===
{{main|Uganda Army (1971–1980)}}
[[File:Idi Amin and Mobutu.jpeg|thumb|[[Idi Amin]] (left), dressed in military fatigues, visits the [[Zaire|Zairian]] dictator [[Mobutu Sese Seko|Mobutu]] in 1977. ]]

In January 1971, Amin and his followers within the army [[1971 Ugandan coup d'état|seized power in a coup d'état]].<ref>Omara-Otunnu, 1987, 98.</ref>

Shortly after the [[Expulsion of Asians from Uganda|expulsion of Asians]] in 1972, Obote launched a small invasion across the Tanzanian border into south-western Uganda.<ref name="loc" /> His small army contingent in 27 trucks set out to capture the southern Ugandan military post at [[Masaka]] but instead settled down to await a general uprising against Amin, which did not occur.<ref name="loc" /> A planned seizure of the airport at Entebbe by soldiers in an allegedly hijacked [[East African Airways]] passenger aircraft was aborted when Obote's pilot blew out the aircraft's tires, causing it to remain in Tanzania.<ref name="loc" /> Amin was able to mobilize his more reliable [[Malire]] Mechanised Regiment and expel the invaders.<ref name="loc" />

In 1976, during [[Operation Entebbe]], the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli military]] destroyed 12 MiG-21s and three MiG-17s based at Entebbe Airport to prevent pursuit.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/-/434746/619406/-/view/printVersion/-/1425iw1/-/index.html | title=The East African - Fallout over raid on Entebbe | access-date=26 January 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190847/https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/-/434746/619406/-/view/printVersion/-/1425iw1/-/index.html | archive-date=29 October 2013 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1977, before the [[Uganda–Tanzania War]], the Ugandan armed forces were reported by IISS as consisting of 20,000 land forces personnel, with two four-battalion brigades and five other battalions of various types, plus a training regiment.<ref>[[IISS]] Military Balance 1979–80, p.55</ref> There were a total of 35 T-34, T-55, and [[M-4 Sherman]] medium tanks. SIPRI assessed decades later that ten T-34s had been supplied from Libya in 1975–76.{{sfn|Stockholm International Peace Research Institute|2010}} An air arm was 1,000 strong with 21 MiG-21 and 10 MiG-17 combat aircraft. The IISS noted that the Uganda Army collapsed in the face of the Tanzanian onslaught and the serviceable aircraft were removed to Tanzania. Its remnants fled into exile in [[Zaire]] and Sudan, from where they launched an insurgency. Meanwhile, pro-Tanzanian rebel groups were reorganized to become Uganda's new regular military.

===UNLA, 1979–1986===
{{main|Uganda National Liberation Army}}

After the Uganda–Tanzania War, fighters available to the new government included only the fewer than 1,000 troops who had fought alongside the [[Tanzanian People's Defence Force]] (TPDF) to expel Amin.<ref name="loc" /> The army was back to the size of the original army at independence in 1962.<ref name="loc" /> Titularly, Colonel [[Tito Okello]] served as army commander and Colonel [[David Oyite Ojok]] as chief of staff,<ref>{{cite book | title=Ghosts of Kampala | last=Smith | first=George Ivan | year=1980 | publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] | location=New York | isbn=0-312-32662-9 | page=14}}</ref> leading the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA).

But in 1979, in an attempt to consolidate support for the future, leaders such as [[Yoweri Museveni]] and Major General (later Chief of Staff) Ojok began to enroll thousands of recruits into what were rapidly becoming their private armies.<ref name=loc>{{Country study|country=Uganda|abbr=|editor-first=Rita M.|editor-last=Byrnes|date=December 1990|first=Thomas P.|last=Ofcansky}}</ref> Museveni's 80 original soldiers grew to 8,000; Ojok's original 600 became 24,000.<ref name="loc" /> When then-President [[Godfrey Binaisa]] sought to curb the use of these militias, which were harassing and detaining political opponents, he was overthrown in a military coup on 10 May 1980.<ref name="loc" /> The coup was engineered by Ojok, Museveni, and others acting under the general direction of [[Paulo Muwanga]], Obote's right-hand man and chair of the [[Military Commission]].<ref name="loc" /> The TPDF was still providing necessary security while Uganda's police force—which had been decimated by Amin—was rebuilt, but President [[Julius Nyerere]] of Tanzania refused to help Binaisa retain power.<ref name="loc" /> Many Ugandans claimed that although Nyerere did not impose his own choice on Uganda, he indirectly facilitated the return to power of his old friend and ally, Obote.<ref name="loc" /> In any case, the Military Commission headed by Muwanga effectively governed Uganda during the six months leading up to the national elections of December 1980.<ref name="loc" />

A Commonwealth Military Training Team - Uganda assisted the UNLA in the early 1980s.<ref>[https://cove.army.gov.au/article/long-road-australias-train-advise-and-assist-missions-edited-tom-frame Tom Frame (ed.), 'The Long Road: Australia's Train, Advise and Assist Missions,' University of New South Wales Press, 2017] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419055408/https://cove.army.gov.au/article/long-road-australias-train-advise-and-assist-missions-edited-tom-frame |date=19 April 2024 }}; https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/peacekeeping/operation-summaries/uganda-1982-1984.</ref>

After the Museveni government was formed in 1986, an NRA code of conduct, originally formulated in the bush in 1982, was made public. This was later formalized as Legal Notice No. 1 of 1986 (Amendment), and served as a basis for relations among soldiers and between the NRA and the public.{{sfn|Mudoola|1991|p=237-238}} After the MRM victory steps were taken to institutionalize the NRA, including the setting-up of a bureaucracy; uniforms; regimental colours; training programmes; ranks; and pay and privileges.{{sfn|Mudoola|1991|p=242}} A number of key [[Rwanda Patriotic Front]] personnel became part of the [[National Resistance Army]] that became Uganda's new national armed forces. [[Fred Rwigyema]] was appointed deputy minister of defense and deputy army commander-in-chief, second only to Museveni in the military chain of command for the nation. [[Paul Kagame]] was appointed acting chief of military intelligence. Other Tutsi refugees were highly placed: [[Peter Baingana]] was head of NRA medical services and [[Chris Bunyenyezi]] was the commander of the 306th Brigade.<ref name=mamdani172-173>[[Mahmood Mamdani]], ''When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda'', Princeton University Press, 2001, {{ISBN|0-691-10280-5}}, pp. 172–173</ref> Tutsi refugees formed a disproportionate number of NRA officers for the simple reason that they had joined the rebellion early and thus had accumulated more experience.<ref name=mamdani172-173/>

===Uganda Peoples' Defence Force, 1995 to present===
The NRA had been successful in its war, and its senior military officers held key political positions in the NRM. It was reduced in size under pressure from donors, unwilling to fund either an outsize army or civil service. Between 1990 and 1996 the army was reduced from 100,000 to 40,000, and the civil service from 320,000 to 156,000.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Andrew M.|last1=Mwandi|first2=Roger|last2=Tangiri|title=Patronage Politics, Donor Reforms, and Regime Consolidation in Uganda|journal=African Affairs|volume=104|number=416|date=2005|page=456}}</ref> Yet the defence budget rose from $44 million in 1991 as far as $200 million in 2004. Somerville ascribes the budget rise to the rebellion in the north, Uganda's [[Second Congo War|military intervention in the Congo]], and "massive corruption" - 'ghost soldiers' who did not exist, whose (real) salaries were claimed by senior officers.<ref>Keith Somerville, "Africa's Long Road Since Independence," Penguin, 207, 305.</ref>

The [[National Resistance Army]] was renamed the Uganda People's Defence Force following the enactment of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://portal.defence.go.ug:10039/wps/portal/mod-home/armed-forces/!ut/p/a1/vVRNU-owFP0rumApuW1Nm7rLE3RESgXRJ904AdIQbJt-BFr49UbGhYNfz5F52d3ce0_OOckNitADijK2loJpqTKWvMSR--iHQKxrsHuhH3pACeDh0OkC-K4pmJgC-GRR2OsfexTo5b03DPv-1dU1Rn9RhKJZpnO9QJNclZolR5XUvAXbz2EZ7NK-MrBPYC-V9hgwsfYKlfhSPuG9tK88YIZ1UTh8x9qcmTPB57ySIttFMzlHE9FUmzoVJ7lOU5FsNqtmWTfZbFPFKZPJdlurZvGq-AtJ3zi2U_y1Z73vXDMcaDZ1iEBRyWNe8rK9Ks1tLbTOz1rGnbqu23OTyWa8LVR7JVrwUdNCVRo9vCtGE6PRe0Og2z-HYdjBEISBAxij2x-atg8YYBsoHlj0gowssOxfAxLaAWqfk9FtxwboegcGtNwDA979miEJsA-0h_8Q93RskZtDS-7-XHLvH34LuSyKiJqZV5nmjXl9_23o8_QuJcu478aBxlOcr7fjOE0fB4MTNiXgvGz0KT0-fgaHSfDm/dl5/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/ |title=UPDF |access-date=14 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014091532/http://portal.defence.go.ug:10039/wps/portal/mod-home/armed-forces/!ut/p/a1/vVRNU-owFP0rumApuW1Nm7rLE3RESgXRJ904AdIQbJt-BFr49UbGhYNfz5F52d3ce0_OOckNitADijK2loJpqTKWvMSR--iHQKxrsHuhH3pACeDh0OkC-K4pmJgC-GRR2OsfexTo5b03DPv-1dU1Rn9RhKJZpnO9QJNclZolR5XUvAXbz2EZ7NK-MrBPYC-V9hgwsfYKlfhSPuG9tK88YIZ1UTh8x9qcmTPB57ySIttFMzlHE9FUmzoVJ7lOU5FsNqtmWTfZbFPFKZPJdlurZvGq-AtJ3zi2U_y1Z73vXDMcaDZ1iEBRyWNe8rK9Ks1tLbTOz1rGnbqu23OTyWa8LVR7JVrwUdNCVRo9vCtGE6PRe0Og2z-HYdjBEISBAxij2x-atg8YYBsoHlj0gowssOxfAxLaAWqfk9FtxwboegcGtNwDA979miEJsA-0h_8Q93RskZtDS-7-XHLvH34LuSyKiJqZV5nmjXl9_23o8_QuJcu478aBxlOcr7fjOE0fB4MTNiXgvGz0KT0-fgaHSfDm/dl5/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/ |archive-date=14 October 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

UPDF's primary focus was the conflict with the [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA), a rebel group operating in the country's northern region. Since March 2002, UPDF has been granted permission to carry out operations against LRA bases across the border in [[South Sudan]]. These raids, collectively known as [[Operation Iron Fist (2002)|Operation Iron Fist]], have resulted in the repatriation of many [[abducted children]] being held by the rebels as [[child soldier]]s or [[sex slave]]s. The LRA has fled Uganda and been pushed deep into the jungles of the [[Central African Republic]] and the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (DRC) (principally [[Orientale Province]]).

The UPDF has also been the subject of controversy for having a minimum age for service of 13.<ref>CIA World Factbook, [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/uganda/], March 2012</ref> Many international organizations have condemned this as being [[military use of children]]. This has created an image problem for the UPDF and may have impacted the international aid Uganda receives. [[Western world|Western]] nations have sent a limited level of military aid to Uganda.<ref>[http://www.un.org/events/tenstories_2006/story.asp?storyID=100 Uganda: Child soldiers at centre of mounting humanitarian crisis] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505062852/http://www.un.org/events/tenstories_2006/story.asp?storyID=100 |date=5 May 2009 }}</ref> "Between 1990 and 2002, the army payroll had at least 18,000 ghost soldiers, according to a report by General [[David Tinyefunza|David Tinyefuza]]."<ref>Joshua Kato, [http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=7&newsCategoryId=132&newsId=506988 "Assessing the cost of an army"], ''[[New Vision|Sunday Vision]]'', 30 June 2006 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207092705/http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=7&newsCategoryId=132&newsId=506988 |date=7 February 2012 }}</ref>

The problem continued in 2003, when there was a severe problem of "ghost" soldiers within the UPDF.<ref>The Weekly Observer, [http://www.ugandaobserver.com/new/archives/2005arch/news/jun/news200505266.php Committee wants death penalty for ghost creators] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928071245/http://www.ugandaobserver.com/new/archives/2005arch/news/jun/news200505266.php |date=28 September 2011 }}, 2005</ref> As of 2008, these personnel problems has been exacerbated by the surge of UPDF troops resigning to work with the [[Multi-National Force – Iraq|Coalition Forces]] in [[Iraq]].<ref>[http://antiamerica.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/iraq-ugandan-guards-in-iraq-face-abuse/ Iraq Ugandan Guards Face Abuse], accessed December 2008 {{webarchive | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518050351/http://antiamerica.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/iraq-ugandan-guards-in-iraq-face-abuse/ | date=18 May 2009 }}</ref> They mostly work as an additional guard force at control points and dining facilities, for example.

Prior to 2000, the [[United States armed forces]] trained together with the UPDF as part of the [[African Crisis Response Initiative]]. This cooperation was terminated in 2000 because of Uganda's incursion into the DRC. Following the June 2003 UPDF withdrawal of troops from the DRC, limited nonlethal military assistance has restarted. The UPDF participates in the [[African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance]] programme with the United States.

After several interventions in the Congo, the UPDF was involved in a further incursion there, from December 2008 stretching into February 2009, against the LRA in the [[Garamba]] area. UPDF special forces and artillery, supported by aircraft, were joined by the [[Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|DRC's armed forces]] and elements of the [[Sudan People's Liberation Army]]. Called "Operation Lightning Thunder" by the UPDF, it was commanded by Brigadier [[Patrick Kankiriho]], commander of the 3rd Division.<ref>Monitor (Kampala), [http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/UPDF_commanders_behind_Operation_Lightning_Thunder_77161.shtml UPDF commanders behind Operation Lightning Thunder], 20 December 2008 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418065132/http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/UPDF_commanders_behind_Operation_Lightning_Thunder_77161.shtml |date=18 April 2009 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Bantariza_moved_in_new_UPDF_reshuffle_80356.shtml Bantariza moved in new UPDF reshuffle], February 2009 {{webarchive | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418065132/http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/UPDF_commanders_behind_Operation_Lightning_Thunder_77161.shtml | date=18 April 2009}}</ref>

In February 2023, President Museveni warned the UPDF against brutality towards civilians, and corruption.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-07 |title=Museveni warns UPDF against brutalising civilians |url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/museveni-warns-updf-against-brutalising-civilians-4113884 |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Monitor |language=en}}</ref>