Northern Uganda campaign (January–March 1986)

Initial actions and assassination attempt on Museveni

In the immediate aftermath of the capture of Kampala, the NRA organized into three columns to conquer the rest of Uganda. An eastern section was ordered to advance to Jinja, Tororo, Mbale, Soroti, Lira, and finally Gulu, while a central force would directly march toward Gulu from Kampala. Finally, a western column under David Tinyefuza and Peter Kerim was supposed to move along the axis of Hoima, Masindi, and Karuma.^[21] The eastern force quickly seized Jinja and Tororo around late January and early February.^[9][21] Their progress was aided by the interal chaos of the UNLA, as many soldiers suffered from low morale due to the loss of the capital and focused on fleeing with their families as well as loot instead of organizing resistance.^[22] Public support for the remaining UNLA loyalists began to suffer even in the north due to their widespread lootings.^[20]

At this point, the UNLA high command organized a last counteroffensive, with Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Kilama's Eastern Brigade attempting to retake Tororo.^[9] This operation was partially motivated by the fact that eastern escape route of the UNLA had been blocked by Karamojong militias which had set up positions at the Awoja Bridge near Soroti.^[22] The Karamojong were a nomadic people that maintained a strong sense of independence;^[23] as a result of their traditional cattle raiding and opposition activities, the UNLA had repeatedly launched brutal punitive campaigns against Karamojong groups during the Bush War.^[24] The eastern UNLA troops thus rallied, deciding to "return and fight back to Kampala".^[22] The counteroffensive and the NRA forces met each other at the River Manafwa, where a "bloody"^[22] and "fierce" battle took place,^[9] centered at the Manafwa Bridge on the Mbale-Tororo highway. UNLA troops also took up defensive positions in the swamps around the river such as at the Tororo-Busia road; there, they indiscriminately shot at and killed fleeing civilians.^[22] The counteroffensive was eventually repelled, and the NRA's 11th Battalion managed to break through the UNLA defenses to cross the River Manafwa. Regardless, these clashes caused a minor delay in the NRA's preparations to assault the UNLA's remaining territories in the north.^[9]

Meanwhile, the UNLA high command also opted for a "desperate move": It ordered one of its remaining helicopter gunships under to bomb the Ugandan parliament building when Yoweri Museveni was sworn in as president on 29 January.^[19][25] The operation aimed at killing the NRM/A leader and his lieutenants, and was personally planned by Bazilio Olara-Okello as well as Col. Obonyo, head of the Gulu Air Base. The UNLA commanders hoped that killing Museveni would throw his forces into chaos, turning the tide in the war. The mission was entrusted to Flight Captain Stephen Ojiambo and his co-pilot Lieutenant Andama who left Gulu in a Bell Textron military helicopter armed with a heavy machine gun and 38 missiles. However, the helicopter crew concluded that their mission was senseless as the war was lost; furthermore, the planned attack would likely result in high civilian losses due to the large crowd gathered at the parliament building. They thus aborted the attack, instead landing at Nakasongola Air Base and subsequently surrendered to the NRA at a nearby police post.^[25][b]

NRA conquest of the north

Meanwhile, the NRA resumed its offensive operations.^[9] East of Tororo, the NRA initially encountered little firm resistance as the local population had traditionally supported Obote's old government and were thus hostile toward the UNLA.^[26] Soon after Tororo had been secured, the NRA took the border towns of Malaba and Busia, restoring the traffic and trade route from Kenya to Kampala.^[21] It then moved northward, where it drove the UNLA garrison from Mbale with a short artillery barrage around 1 February. The NRA soldiers reportedly found the town heavily looted, as the UNLA troops had killed 50 civilians and stolen much before fleeing.^[26] The government forces then continued to march northward, capturing Soroti on 12 February.^[26][10] Afterward, the NRA force moved into the Lira and Apac Districts, evicting local UNLA troops and eventually pausing at Aloi on 25 February. It did so to coordinate further operations with the other NRA columns.^[26]

The NRA's central column had captured Nakasongola Air Base around 2 February, causing the local UNLA defenders to flee to Kigumba. A few days later, the NRA's central and western groups linked up,^[26] with David Tinyefuza assuming overall command.^[27] They then attacked Kigumba on 5 February. After a short clash, the town fell to the attackers,^[26] while the UNLA forces in the region rallied at the fortified Nile crossings.^[26][9] The NRA then began its assault to cross the Nile, encountering particularly heavy resistance by the UNLA and allied West Nile militias at Karuma and Kamdini.^[12] After bitter fighting, the NRA's 13th and 19th Battalions managed to cross the Nile and advanced northward.^[9][c] As part of the battles along the rivers, the NRA inflicted "catastrophic losses" on the UNLA's Acholi troops^[12] and largely shattered them.^[9] Despite this, UNLA contingents continued some resistance efforts. In the Opaka forest, about 12 miles south of Gulu, a large force of new UNLA recruits armed with machetes attacked the NRA but were repelled, suffering heavy losses.^[19]

The NRA's 1st, 13th, and 19th Battalions subsequently captured Gulu and Kitgum in early March.^[9][12] The circumstances of Gulu's fall are disputed. According to contemporary statements by the NRA Defense Ministry and Radio Uganda, its forces captured the town after defeating the local UNLA garrison in a battle lasting three hours on late 8 March.^[20][28] Researchers Anthony Clayton and Ondoga Ori Amaza insteasd stated that the NRA defeated a large UNLA force near Gulu in a three-day battle,^[29][26] whereupon the rest of the garrison fled to Sudan via Kitgum.^[26] According to Colonel Samson Mande, head of the NRA troops at Gulu, the local UNLA garrison peacefully surrendered after negotiating with him.^[27] Researcher Adam Branch claimed that the local UNLA garrison retreated without offering resistance.^[18] The UNLA's eastern front also collapsed after a last, brief clash with the NRA near Lira in late March. Recognizing that his remaining forces suffered under low morale, Ojukwu ordered them to scatter at Puranga in the southern Kitgum District.^[30]

With effective resistance no longer possible, the UNLA completely disintegrated and its remnants fled into exile, along with many former government officials.^[9] The NRM claimed that at least 10,000 UNLA soldiers surrendered during the operations to capture the north.^[10] However, most of the UNLA soldiers demobilized, hid their uniforms and weapons, and returned to their home areas.^[30][12] The last UNLA pockets of resistance had been defeated by the end of March.^[18] The NRA continued its advance until it reached the state borders in the north, ending the offensive.^[12][9] To the surprise of the locals in the north, the NRA troops initially behaved well and were disciplined as they occupied the region.^[27][31] As a result, a growing number of northern civilians began to offer support to the NRM/A.^[20]