46 years ago today, on July 4, 1976, elite Israeli forces flew over 3,218kms & rescued hostages in the “Entebbe Raid”. It set off a series of events that eventually ended Uganda military dictator Idi #Amin’s rule in April 1976 #EntebbeRaid #1
The mostly-Israeli hostages were on board an Air France Airbus A300 airliner with 248 passengers that was hijacked June 27 by Palestinian militants. During the rescue, the Israelis destroyed most of Amin's Airforce planes – barely 3kms away was Amin’s State House #EntebbeRaid #2
A wounded and humiliated Amin lashed out. A new long bout of killings, including of the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Janani Luwum in February 1977, started. After the attack #Amin upped his threats against Kenya, from where the Israelis had refueled #EntebbeRaid #3
In Feb. 1976, Amin threatened to annex parts of Kenya. Nairobi responded with an economic embargo. After #EntebbeRaid #Amin cut electricity supplies to Kenya and threatened to attack it unless it lifted its economic blockade & allowed petroleum supplies through #EntebbeRaid #4
With #Amin in deep hostilities with Tanzania (ex-President Obote was exiled there) the Kenya tensions put further strains on a troubled East African Community (EAC). In 1977 the first EA collapsed. Now there was no instrument for managing regional disagreements #EntebbeRaid #5
Facing more international isolation, an acute economic crisis, his tough-guy image dented by the #EntebbeRaid & seeking to rally a restless country around a patriotic platform, in Oct. 1978 #Amin invaded #Tanzania. He fatally underestimated Julius Nyerere #6
Tanzania, with a coalition of Ugandan exile groups (including current President Yoweri Museveni) struck back. On April 11, 1979, they seized the capital Kampala after #Amin and his loyalist troops fled. The rule of Big Daddy was over. Talk of a butterfly effect! #EntebbeRaid #7
*April 1979 as in tweet #7. By 1976 the nationalist bump Amin had got from expelling Ugandan Asians, seizing and redistributing their property, had begun to wane.
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