Atlas of Battles

battle, Cold War

Fall of Kampala

Fall of Kampala was a battle fought in 1979 in what is now Uganda. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at its recorded location. It was part of the Uganda–Tanzania War, which ran from 1978 to 1979. The recorded result: Tanzanian–UNLF victory. Recorded strength: 1,000 soldiers against 3 Tanzanian brigades; 1 UNLF battalion.

See it on the globe Read the article

Map of Kampala Geographic limits of the map: N: 0.3831° S: 0.2521° W: 32.5267° E: 32.6484° This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. You are free: t
Map of Kampala Geographic limits of the map: N: 0.3831° S: 0.2521° W: 32.5267° E: 32.6484° This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. You are free: t. Dr. Blofeld, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1979
WhereUganda0.314N, 32.581E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeTanzanian–UNLF victory
BelligerentsSecond Republic of Uganda; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Palestine Liberation OrganisationagainstTanzania; Uganda National Liberation Front
Part ofUganda–Tanzania War1978 to 1979

Where it sits in the Uganda–Tanzania War

Battle of Mutukula, 1979Battle of Masaka, 1979Battle of Lukaya, 1979Battle of Entebbe, 1979Fall of Kampala, 197919791979Fall of Kampala, 1979
5 placed engagements of the Uganda–Tanzania War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1979 (year precision)
PlaceUganda
0.314N, 32.581E
KindBattle, Cold War
Territorial changeKampala occupied by Tanzanian and UNLF forces
Strength1,000 soldiers3 Tanzanian brigades; 1 UNLF battalion
Casualties and lossesDozens of Ugandan soldiers killed; 500+ Ugandan soldiers captured; Light Libyan casualtiesLight Tanzanian casualties; 6+ UNLF soldiers killed
Commanders
  • Idi Amin
  • Dusman Sabuni
  • Juma Butabika
  • Mahmoud Da'as
  • John Butler Walden
  • David Oyite-Ojok
Fall of KampalaFall of KampalaBattle of LukayaBattle of JinjaBattle of MasakaBattle of SembabuleBattle of LukayaBattle of JinjaBattle of MasakaBattle of SembabuleMbaleJinjaEntebbeTororoMityanaMubendeKarunguBombo100 km0.314N, 32.581E
Placed at its recorded location; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1979

Fall of Kampala is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 15 in present-day Uganda.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q5432160, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Fall of Kampala, revision 1376852718, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.