Rwenzururu (political movement)
| Rwenzururu | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1950s–1982 |
| Ideology | Separatism |
| Leaders | Isaya Mukirania |
| Area of operations | Rwenzururu region |
| Opponents |
 Uganda Uganda Protectorate (before 30 June 1962) |
The Rwenzururu was an armed secessionist movement active in southwest Uganda, in the subnational kingdom of Tooro. The group was made up of Konjo and Amba fighters and was led by Isaya Mukirania. It disbanded in 1982 following successful peace negotiations with the Ugandan government.
After decades of being subjects of the Tooro Kingdom, the Konjo and Amba peoples asked the British colonial government in Uganda to provide them their own district in the 1950s, separate from the Toro District. The colonial authorities denied their request, and the Bakonjo and Baamba subsequently launched a low-intensity guerrilla war against the government in response.
In the 1960s, the Rwenzururu began to shift its objective from creating a separate district to creating a fully independent kingdom, and on 30 June 1962, the movement declared an independent Kingdom of Rwenzururu with Isaya Mukirania as king, three months before the independence of Uganda. The violence reached its height in 1963 and 1964, when Tooro soldiers massacred Bakonjo and Baamba as they sought control over the lower valleys. The Ugandan army intervened against the Rwenzururu, doing such significant damage that the movement was suppressed for some time.
After the Uganda–Tanzania War and the collapse of the regime of Idi Amin in 1979, the Rwenzururu looted abandoned weapons and supplies left by the retreating Ugandan army, reestablishing themselves as a serious threat in the region. However in 1982, the administration of President Milton Obote negotiated a settlement with the leaders of Rwenzururu, in which they agreed to abandon the goal of secession in exchange for "a degree of local autonomy", the appointment of Bakonjo and Baamba to government administrative posts, and economic benefits such as vehicles and educational scholarships distributed by local elders. During the negotiations, the government preferred direct talks, as they believed third-party mediation would give legitimacy to the Rwenzururu claim.
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