Five things to know about Uganda

Here are five things to know about the east African nation: Regional military involvement Still haunted by the tyrannical reign of Idi Amin from 1971 to 1979, which Museveni helped to end as a former guerrilla, Uganda has been involved in several civil wars and regional conflicts since achieving independence from Britain in 1962. Museveni, who took power at the head of a rebel army in 1986, has tried to position himself as a useful ally to the United States to offset criticism of his domestic regime.