Forum For Democratic Change - Background

Background

The origins of the Forum for Democratic Change are intertwined with the history of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) led by president Yoweri Museveni. The NRM through its military wing the National Resistance Army fought a successful guerrilla war against the governments of Milton Obote and Tito Okello and came to power in Uganda in 1986. During the guerrilla war, Yoweri Museveni had successfully moulded various interest groups into an effective military machine, and on achieving power began to build the NRM into cohesive political organisation. The transition process and the NRM's desire to broaden its political base revealed other interests within the party and a feeling amongst some senior members of being sidelined.

Museveni had relied heavily on the support of the Tutsi refugees and their descendants who had been forced out of Rwanda by the Hutu majority in the 1960s. During the guerrilla war, the NRA had moved from the central district of Luwero to the west of the country where most of the Tutsis had been recruited. On achieving power, Tutsis like Paul Kagame and Fred Gisa Rwigyema were rewarded with powerful positions within the army and government.

The NRA advance on Kampala had been very rapid, and during this process hundreds of new recruits had been incorporated into the NRA. Many of these came from Museveni's own tribe, the Banyankole and other western tribes like the Batoro. When the NRA advanced back into Buganda through the town of Masaka, their ranks were expanded by Baganda, many who travelled from different parts of Buganda to join the guerrillas. For many of these, the common goal was simply to oust the northern dominated government. There were also those who saw the opportunity to use the NRA to achieve Buganda's ambitions of autonomy.