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Kampala streets and shops shattered

Mohamed Amin1979

Mohamed Amin Foundation

Mohamed Amin Foundation
Nairobi, Kenya

Kampala streets and shops shattered by Tanzanians and the Ugandans looted after Tanzania Army took over the capital city of Uganda, Kampala. The Uganda–Tanzania War, known in Tanzania as the Kagera War and in Uganda as the 1979 Liberation War, was fought between Uganda and Tanzania from October 1978 until June 1979, and led to the overthrow of Ugandan President Idi Amin. The war was preceded by a deterioration of relations between Uganda and Tanzania following Amin's overthrow of President Milton Obote and subsequent seizure of power in 1971. The President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, had close ties with Obote and supported an attempt by him to launch a rebellion in Uganda in 1972, leading to a border clash and eventually the signing of an agreement with Amin which stipulated that both leaders would withdraw their forces from the Uganda–Tanzania border. Nevertheless, relations between the two presidents remained tense, and Amin began claiming that the Kagera Salient—a stretch of Tanzanian land between the official border and the Kagera River, should be placed under Uganda's jurisdiction. Over the following years Amin's regime was destabilised by violent purges, economic problems, and dissatisfaction in the Uganda Army. The circumstances surrounding the outbreak of the war are not clear, and numerous differing accounts of the events exist. Kenya's renowned photojournalist Mohamed Amin, also known as 'Six Camera Mo' captured some of Africa's defining moments. He managed to use his cameras for more than a generation to bring East Africa’s most powerful stories into world view.

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  • Title: Kampala streets and shops shattered
  • Creator: Mohamed Amin
  • Date Created: 1979
  • Location Created: Uganda
  • Type: Photograph
  • Rights: Mohamed Amin / Camerapix
Mohamed Amin Foundation

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