The colonial boundaries
created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of
ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These
differences prevented the establishment of a working political
community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial
regime of Idi Amin (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some
300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton
Obote (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of
Yoweri Museveni since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic
growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated
non-party presidential and legislative elections.
English
is the official language; Ganda (also known as Luganda), other
Niger-Congo languages, other Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, and
Arabic
are also spoken.