Battle of Lukaya
The Battle of Lukaya (Kiswahili: Mapigano ya Lukaya) was a battle of the Uganda–Tanzania War. It was fought on 10 and 11 March 1979 around Lukaya, Uganda, between Tanzanian forces (supported by Ugandan rebels) and Ugandan government forces (supported by Libyan and Palestinian troops). After briefly occupying the town, Tanzanian troops and Ugandan rebels retreated under artillery fire. The Tanzanians subsequently launched a counterattack, retaking Lukaya and killing hundreds of Libyans and Ugandans.
| Battle of Lukaya | |||||||||
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| Part of the Uganda–Tanzania War | |||||||||
Libyan and Tanzanian troop movements during and after the battle | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Tanzania Ugandan rebels |
Uganda Libya Palestine Liberation Organisation | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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David Musuguri Imran Kombe Mwita Marwa David Oyite-Ojok |
Godwin Sule † Isaac Maliyamungu Yusuf Gowon Abdu Kisuule Mutlaq Hamdan (WIA) Wassef Erekat (WIA) | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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201st Brigade 208th Brigade Kikosi Maalum |
Uganda Army
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| Strength | |||||||||
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2 Tanzanian brigades 1 Ugandan rebel battalion (7,000 total soldiers) 3 tanks |
2,000 Ugandan soldiers (Tanzanian estimate) ~1,000 Libyan soldiers Several Palestinian guerrillas 18 tanks 12+ armoured personnel carriers | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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8 Tanzanian soldiers killed 1 Ugandan rebel killed |
~200 Ugandan soldiers killed ~200 Libyan soldiers killed 1 Palestinian killed, 8 wounded (PLO claim) 1 Libyan soldier captured | ||||||||
President Idi Amin of Uganda attempted to invade neighbouring Tanzania to the south in 1978. The attack was repulsed, and Tanzania launched a counterattack into Ugandan territory. In February 1979, the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) seized Masaka. The TPDF's 201st Brigade was then instructed to secure Lukaya and its causeway to the north, which served as the only direct route through a large swamp to Kampala, the Ugandan capital. Meanwhile, Amin ordered his forces to recapture Masaka, and a force was assembled for the purpose consisting of Ugandan troops, allied Libyan soldiers, and a handful of Palestine Liberation Organisation guerrillas, led by Lieutenant Colonel Godwin Sule.
On the morning of 10 March the TPDF's 201st Brigade under Brigadier Imran Kombe, bolstered by a battalion of Ugandan rebels, occupied Lukaya without incident. In the late afternoon the Libyans attacked the town with rockets, and the unit broke and fled into the nearby swamp. Tanzanian commanders ordered the 208th Brigade to march to the Kampala road to flank the Ugandan-Libyan force. At dawn on 11 March the 208th Brigade reached its target position and the Tanzanian counterattack began. The regrouped 201st Brigade assaulted the Libyans and Ugandans from the front and the 208th from their rear. Sule was killed, precipitating the collapse of the Ugandan defences, while the Libyans retreated. Hundreds of Ugandan government and Libyan troops were killed. The Battle of Lukaya was the largest engagement of the war. Amin's forces were adversely affected by the outcome, and Ugandan resistance crumbled in its wake. The TPDF was able to proceed up the road and later attack Kampala.