| Battle of Entebbe | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Uganda–Tanzania War | |||||||||
  Entebbe Battle of Entebbe (Uganda) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Tanzania |
 Uganda Libya | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Mwita Marwa Salim Hassan Boma |
Cyril Orambi  | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown |
300+ Libyans killed 40+ Libyans captured 200–365 Uganda Army Air Force personnel captured 1 Libyan Lockheed C-130 Hercules destroyed 12 Ugandan MiGs disabled | ||||||||
The Battle of Entebbe was a battle of the Uganda–Tanzania War that took place on 7 April 1979 on the Entebbe peninsula in Uganda between Tanzanian units and Ugandan and Libyan units. The Tanzanians occupied the area, killed hundreds of Libyans, and ended the Libyan airlift in support of the Ugandan government.
Idi Amin had seized power in Uganda in 1971 and established a brutal dictatorship. Seven years later he attempted to invade neighbouring Tanzania to the south. The attack was repulsed, and Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere ordered a counter-attack into Ugandan territory. As Tanzanian forces advanced deeper into the country, Libya sent its own troops to support the Ugandans, flying them in to the airport at Entebbe. From their position in Mpigi the Tanzanians could see the Libyan air traffic, so they decided to attack the location to stop the airlift and eliminate a potential flank attack ahead of their assault on Kampala.
Tanzanian forces conducted a light three-day bombardment of the Entebbe peninsula, driving away Amin from his presidential residence and instigating the retreat of many Ugandan forces. On the morning of 7 April the Tanzanian 208th Brigade attacked the peninsula. After one of their aircraft was blown up, the Libyans attempted to evacuate via road to Kampala. Many of their units were intercepted and destroyed, while most Ugandan soldiers surrendered. There was little fighting within the town of Entebbe, and the peninsula was secured by the Tanzanians in the late afternoon. Over 300 Libyan soldiers were killed, and at least 200 Uganda Army Air Force personnel were captured. The Tanzanians also seized a large amount of Libyan heavy equipment and several Ugandan jets.
Tanzanian forces moved their headquarters to Entebbe and prepared for their attack on Kampala, while local civilians looted abandoned properties. Nyerere ordered his forces to leave an eastern corridor from the capital open, so the remaining Libyan units in the country could escape, thus sparing Libya international embarrassment and avoiding the incitement of Afro-Arab tensions. The Tanzanians advanced into Kampala on 10 April, with the 208th Brigade attacking from Entebbe. The city was taken with minimal resistance, with most of the Libyans having evacuated.