Bombo

History

Many officers and soldiers of the Uganda Army (UA) settled in Bombo upon their retirement during the Second Republic of Uganda (1971–79). At the time, many inhabitants were Nubians, an ethnic group whose members were viewed as supporters of President Idi Amin. The town also hosted the barracks for the UA's Malire Regiment. As a result, Bombo was affected by the Uganda–Tanzania War. After Idi Amin's government had been factually overthrown and Kampala been captured by the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) as well as allied Ugandan rebels on 11 April, UA soldiers of Nubian origin as well as their families began to terrorize other locals in Bombo. After several killings, many younger soldiers fled the town, but the retired officers set up defenses to oppose the TPDF's 201st Brigade that was approaching the town from the south. The Battle of Bombo in April 1979 resulted in a Tanzanian victory. Several Ugandan defenders were killed, much weaponry was captured by the TPDF, and the town suffered substantial damage. Many Nubian, Kakwa, and Lugbara locals subsequently fled the town, fearing reprisals by anti-Amin groups. Following the war's conclusion, Bombo was not provided with relief aid like other settlements, as the new Ugandan government suspected its large Nubian population. Many buildings in the town continued to display damage suffered during the 1979 battle for decades. Bombo's barracks continued to be used during the Ugandan Bush War, and the Uganda National Liberation Army was known to imprison civilians there from 1981. In the 1980s, Kenya forced many former Nubian inhabitants of Bombo to return to Uganda. They were denied refugee status, and often fell into poverty. In 1995, Bombo was also stripped of its municipality status. Since then, locals have…

Most-observed species

• Common Bulbul

  Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 1789) · Aves
  98
• Hadada Ibis

  Bostrychia hagedash (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  79
• Eastern Plantain-eater

  Crinifer zonurus (Ruppell, 1835) · Aves
  77
• Great Blue Turaco

  Corythaeola cristata (Vieillot, 1816) · Aves
  72
• Bronze mannikin

  Lonchura cucullata (Swainson, 1837) · Aves
  66
• Red-eyed Dove

  Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves
  65
• Speckled Mousebird

  Colius striatus J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  63
• Northern Gray-headed Sparrow

  Passer griseus (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  63

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2022-08-31
  14 km NE of Buwenge, Uganda
• M 4.5 — 2010-12-27
  32 km SSE of Jinja, Uganda