Is Ethnic Autonomy Compatible with a Unitary State? The Case of Uganda and Tanzania

Abstract

Uganda and Tanzania, two countries in East Africa, have experienced sharply contrasting conditions of political instability and stability. On the one hand, it is estimated that more than half a million Ugandans lost their lives between 1971 and 1986, during the period of Idi Amin’s dictatorship and of the subsequent ‘liberation war’ waged by the National Resistance Army (NRA) led by the current president, Yoweri Museveni. After the victory of Museveni’s army, a serious armed resistance continued in the country’s Northern region, and Uganda is prone to potentially violent ethno-regional conflict even today. On the other hand, Tanzania has been largely peaceful for many years, going back to the days of the late president, Julius Nyerere. As evidenced in our perceptions surveys, ethnic identity and national identity compete on even terms in Uganda, while common identity as a single nation has firmly taken root in Tanzania.