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, Idi Amin and his army seized power in an apparently bloodless coup. Within a few minutes of the announcement on the radio, Kampala's streets were filled with crowds rejoicing the overthrow of President Milton Obote. 1 A large number of Makerere University students, too, joined in with celebrations in Buganda, having come to resent the violent and increasingly authoritarian nature of Obote's regime. 2 The initial optimism of Amin's coup, however, quickly faded as the realities of his rule became clear. 3 In the first year of the new regime, Amin's forces murdered several thousand Acholi and Langi soldiers suspected of disloyalty. 4 Soon after, Amin launched his 'economic war' against the 50,000 Ugandan Asians in the country, announcing the expulsion of these 'parasites' in August 1972. 5 The following months were characterised by a deteriorating security situation in which Amin's army and security services were allowed to kill with impunity, filling Uganda's prisons and torture centres-including the euphemistically named Public Safety Unit (PSU) and State Research Bureau (SRB)with little or no regard for the law. 6 Amin was ousted in April 1979 following the invasion from Tanzania of the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) and the Tanzania Peoples' Defence Force (TPDF). 7 A series of short regimes followed-Yusuf Lule, Godfrey Binaisa and Paulo Muwanga-each attempting unity, but ultimately flawed in their attempts at reconciliation. 8 In elections in 1980 that were widely believed to have been rigged, Milton Obote and his Uganda CHAPTER 7 The 'Trauma' of War and Violence

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