In 1979, when the Ugandan exiles, supported by Tanzania, decided to overthrow Idi Amin Dada, Kabila was incorporated by the Tanzanian troops among various armed groups to get a first hand experience of modern warfare.
According to Uganda exiles, Kabila stayed in Uganda and became close to the Museveni group until they went to the bush in 1980. Kabila later fell out with Nyerere because of their disagreement over Kabila's lifestyle. Nyerere criticised Kabila for being too autocratic in his guerrilla movement and too involved in illicit business, which later led to the cutting off of contacts with the Tanzanian security services.
President Museveni refers to a slightly different version of his first meeting with Kabila in his speech, "Background to the situation in the Great Lakes region" 1. Museveni said that he met Kabila for the first time in 1986 after taking over power in Uganda: "He was coming out of Tanzania where he had apparently lived. While in Tanzania during the anti-Amin struggle, I heard of Mr. Kabila, having some bases in the eastern mountains of Congo, around Kalemie, but I had never met him. He was introduced to me by a Tanzanian Intelligence officer that I had known by name of James Nzagi."
In this first meeting with Museveni, Kabila is said to have asked for arms but was given two conditions: not to operate on the Uganda-Congo border, "given the prejudice that existed in the region against us for having come to power through a protracted people's struggle. Some of the leaders thought that we were a bad example and that we would influence their people," Museveni wrote in his speech. The other condition was that Kabila was to get official permission to transport the arms through Tanzania to his bases in eastern Congo. "In order to do this, H.E. President Mwinyi's [the then Tanzanian head of state] consent had to be sought. Mr. Kabila however failed to secure President Mwinyi's concurrence. We therefore did not proceed on the question of arms but I gave him a modest financial contribution apart from linking him with the Libyans to see if they could assist him in any way without involving Uganda."
Kabila surfaced again in 1994 when the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) took power in Rwanda. Ugandan President Museveni introduced him to Rwandan Vice-President Kagame, whom, Museveni says, had a sharper conflict with President Mobutu over the presence of Rwandan refugees on the Rwanda-Congo border, held hostage by Interahamwe militias and elements of the former Rwandan Army. At the same time Museveni forwarded another Congolese politician, Kisase Ngandu, to Kagame, to work with Kabila to initiate the anti-Mobutu movement. At first, Kabila and Kisase Ngandu failed to raise enough manpower, until 1,200 Tutsi from Masisi trained by the Rwanda army were linked to the Banyamulenge in South Kivu. Both groups were under the threat of expulsion from Congo. Two other prominent figures, Masasu Nindaga and Déogratias Bugera, joined Kabila and Kisase Ngandu to form the alliance.
Analysis in English on Angola and 3 other countries; published on 21 May 1999 by ICG
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