Muhoozi Kainerugaba
has a well-written accolade to his name concerning to the Ugandan
history. The depth of the subjects discussed and the wealth of content
portrayed in this monumental work contributes to the understanding of
the guerilla armed struggle that brought Yoweri Museveni to power in
1986.
A dramatic story that began in 1981 when the current President Yoweri Museveni, then Vice Chairman of the governing Military Commission, and his family faced a death threat in a blockade by soldiers at the UNLA manned roadblock in Kireka, was interrupted in a courageous act by one of the President Salim Saleh's guards who was responsible for escorting the convoy carrying Museveni, his wife, Janet Museveni (now the Minister of Education) and his young and only son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The actions of Salim Saleh led the UNLA soldiers to arrest and torture him. Museveni, in order to stop the act of cruelty, made an important statement that resulted in the immediate release of Salim Saleh (Commander of the rebel Army’s Mobile Brigade and now, Senior Presidential Advisor on the Military.)
This is one of several battle histories of Uganda that makes this book a veritable treasure trove of discovery and historical relationships. The boy who witnessed that moment and many others, marked his life forever and made him one of the greatest military academicians of today.
In addition, the history has shaped the tradition of Maneuver before the Battle of the Ugandan Resistance. A five-year long guerrilla war fought by the National Resistance Army (now UPDF) led by his father & the President Yoweri Museveni, which marked an important epoch in the Ugandan military history.
The book, besides attracting readers, also brings a moment of reflection in the past trajectories that addresses and investigates the technical aspects of a series of key battles of the resistance war.
It also shows a deep and a summation of the African continent which has always been the stage of constant conflicts, a consequence of colonialist intervention, especially in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (XIX to XX).
One of the first aspects that this work denotes, is the powerful description of an analysis developed by the author, who argues for an implicit approach to maneuverist strategy & to the military operations. An action that intrigues deeply and exceeds expectations.
The war is composed of 3 phases which are characterized by a number of key battles at the centre of each one:
The Clandestine Phase
Guerrilla Warfare Phase
Mobile Warfare Phase
Conventional Warfare Phase
The book begins and ends in a way where the reader thoroughly sees what the author describes and finds a force that makes this historic move by joining other authentic African voices tackling the military history of the continent.
Out of a lofty examination of the strategy for the War of Resistance and with recommendations of a doctrinal nature, Muhoozi Kainerugaba has already made a place in the records of his country, and continues to serve his military and political ambitions.
