Suleiman Hussein (died 29 January 1971) was a Ugandan military officer who was the Uganda Army Chief of Staff from 1970 until 1971.
Suleiman Hussein | |
|---|---|
| Uganda Army Chief of Staff | |
| In office 29 September 1970 – 29 January 1971 | |
| President | Milton Obote |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 29 January 1971 Kampala, Uganda |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Uganda |
| Years of service | ?–1971 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Commands | Second Battalion |
Early life edit
Hussein originated from West Nile District, Uganda.[1] He was ethnically an Alur of Congolese ancestry.[2] He was a Muslim.[3]
Military career edit
Following Uganda's independence in 1962, Hussein initially rose to major. In 1964,[4] he became commander of the Uganda Army's Second Battalion with the rank of lieutenant colonel.[2][3] On 12 April 1968 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier.[5] On 29 September 1970 the Defence Council made him Uganda Army Chief of Staff.[2] Upon assuming this post he issued a statement addressed to the soldiers of the army, cautioning against "tribalism" and the subversive manipulation of ethnic loyalties.[6] In January 1971 President Milton Obote informed a "committee" which included Hussein that he wanted Colonel Idi Amin arrested before he returned from an oversees trip to Singapore. The committee failed to act on this with haste,[7] and some Uganda Army personnel launched a coup, overthrowing Obote and replacing him with Amin. On 29 January the putschists arrested Hussein in Kampala and brought him to Luzira Prison where he was subsequently beaten to death.[8] His head was severed from his body and taken to Amin, who reportedly stored it in a refrigerator overnight.[9]
References edit
- ^ Kirunda-Kivejinja 1995, p. 142.
- ^ a b c Kokole 1985, p. 431.
- ^ a b Kalema 1995, p. 12.
- ^ Omara-Otunnu 1987, p. 60.
- ^ Omara-Otunnu 1987, p. 86.
- ^ Omara-Otunnu 1987, p. 90.
- ^ Omara-Otunnu 1987, p. 98.
- ^ Violations of Human Rights 1974, pp. 27, 55.
- ^ Kasozi 1994, p. 249.
Works cited edit
- Kalema, Andrew Ndaula (1995). Uganda, a Century of Existence. Kampala: Fountain Publishers. ISBN 9789970020225.
- Kasozi, A.B.K. (1994). Nakanyike Musisi; James Mukooza Sejjengo (eds.). Social Origins of Violence in Uganda, 1964–1985. Montreal; Quebec: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 978-0-7735-1218-4.
- Kirunda-Kivejinja, A. M. (1995). Uganda: The Crisis of Confidence. Kampala: Progressive Publishing House. OCLC 35822265.
- Kokole, Omari H. (1985). "The 'Nubians' of East Africa: Muslim Club or African "Tribe"? The View From Within" (PDF). Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs Journal. 6 (2): 420–448. doi:10.1080/13602008508715952.
- Omara-Otunnu, Amii (1987). Politics and the Military in Uganda, 1890–1985. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-349-18738-6.
- Violations of Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Uganda (PDF). Geneva: International Commission of Jurists. 1974. OCLC 1052819668.