Battle of Kembogo

Battle of Kembogo
Part of the Ugandan Bush War
Date 21 June 1985 Location Kembogo, Luwero Triangle, Uganda 0°44′N 32°09′E / 0.74°N 32.15°E / 0.74; 32.15 Result National Resistance Movement victory
Belligerents
Uganda	National Resistance Movement
Commanders and leaders
Eric Odwar Joseph Kiyengo	Salim Saleh Patrick Lumumba Stephen Kashaka Fredrick Mugisha "China" Mafundo
Units involved
UNLA Special Brigade	National Resistance Army Mobile Brigade
Strength
2 battalions	c. 1,500
Casualties and losses
c. 200–300 killed	23 killed

The Battle of Kembogo (21 June 1985) was fought between National Resistance Movement (NRM) rebels and the Ugandan government during the late Ugandan Bush War. After the government's Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) attempted to corner and destroy a major rebel force under Salim Saleh, the latter lured their pursuers into an ambush and inflicted a heavy defeat on them. The battle contributed to growing unrest among government forces.

The battle took place after the NRM's armed wing, the National Resistance Army (NRA), had managed to expand its operations and engaged in a series of successful attacks and raids. The UNLA's main counter-insurgency commander, John Charles Ogole, subsequently organized an operation to destroy the NRA's most important formation, the Mobile Brigade. After detecting the rebel unit, three UNLA battalions were dispatched and managed to corner the Mobile Brigade in the Singo area of the Luwero Triangle. NRA commander Saleh responded by unexpectedly switching from evasive maneuvers to a pitched battle, confronting two of the three government battalions. In this surprise confrontation, the insurgents inflicted heavy losses on the UNLA troops and routed them. This NRA victory demoralized the UNLA, contributing to a widespread mutiny and eventually the 1985 Ugandan coup d'état.