Field Marshal Idi Amin must have turned in his grave

Richard Moleofe | Friday July 8, 2016 15:27

This week’s visit to Uganda by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his entourage has brought to life the memories of that event which took place 40 years ago. The visit was so deliberate and direct by Netanyahu who himself comes from the military, something that many young men in Israel cannot escape.

Operation Thunderbolt was a rescue operation of the highjacked Israeli passenger jet that was travelling between Athens and Paris. In it were 250 passengers who vied through Tripoli for a brief refuelling stop.

Once in Entebe, the passengers were separated between Jews and non-Jews, and from then on the latter group was released on installment. This was a clear sign that the Jews were about to be massacred.  This prompted a quick reaction from the Israeli government. A few days later they unleashed the might of their military.

Commanding the team in this operation was Lieutenant Colonel Yeshua Netanyahu, a brilliant and budding young commanding officer of the Israeli Army. That was the brother to the current Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. Since the death of Yeshua, Benjamin has never had an opportunity to lay flowers on the spot where his brother died. His visit is a mark of victory and a clear message that you can mess with everyone else but not the Israelis.

At the helm of the country at the time of the raid was Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada, a man who called himself “Conqueror of the British Empire.” According to eyewitness accounts, Idi Amin was hiding in the living quarters of his servants within the precincts of State House at the time of the raid.  He was scared to his wits because he thought this was a mutinous action by his own troops.

God has not allowed communication between the dead and the living, but for certain, Idi Amin must have tossed and turned upon the sight of another Netanyahu in Entebe. It was so ironic that Prime Minister Netanyahu decided to ditch his VIP air transport for a Hercules C130. This is the same plane that Lt Col Netanyahu landed on the same tarmac 40 years ago. The roar of the quadrupled engines is intimidating to say the least.

The 1976 operation was conducted entirely on C130s and they were four in total. Three carried commandos and their equipment that included Soviet made BTR 90s that were earlier captured in the 1973 Yomkipo war with Israel’s Arab neighbours.

During the raid, the Israelis capitalised in bringing Amin’s military to its knees. Once they were certain that all hostages were aboard in a waiting Hercules, the destruction and mayhem began.

After the raid, Idi Amin emerged from his hiding place to be met by a sea of destruction. Deaths of his own troops neared a 100 mark as compared to only one of the Israelis. 

The visit of Prime Minister Netanyahu is a clear sign that his brother’s loss was quite a blow to him. At the time he was studying in the United States of America.

On receiving the news of the successful rescue mission, he thronged himself into celebration. The last thing he asked after celebrating was how his brother was doing. Unfortunately the unthinkable had happened. The commander of the mission was dead.

The majestic Hercules C130 was seen this week in the background as Prime Minister Netanyahu laid flowers on the spot where his brother died on 4th of July, 1976. It is most probable that the Hercules C130 that stood in the background was the same one Lt Col Yeshua Natanyanhu used then. This trip was loaded with a lot of significance in all regards. 

Operation Thunderbolt or Raid on Entebe as most of us have come to know was a turning point in the realm of international terrorism. That was the last time an airplane was highjacked by a Palestinian group. 

The rules of the game changed and it was not until September 2001 when the World Trade Centre came down with the use of highjacked planes. Morden terrorists have now opted for the use of suicide belts and the like. But otherwise the days of highjacking were put to an end by Operation Thunderbolt.

Looking at the legacy of Idi Amin, he is almost a forgotten figure in the country of his birth. He died in self imposed exile in Saudi Arabia and no one mourned his death. What is even worse about his situation was that he could not make his final rest in the land of his birth Uganda.

The events of this week in Uganda must serve as a vivid reminder to all African leaders that no dictator is invisible. At the time of the raid, Amin was feared across the Great Lakes region of East Africa. Now he is gone and forgotten.

The reason why the Israelis destroyed a fleet of Migs of the Ugandan Air Force was to fulfil the part of their deal with the Kenyans. The C130s used in this operation were later refuelled in Nairobi.

Had the Migs survived the raid, Amin was going to go for Jomo Kenyata’s throat the moment he came to learn of his treacherous acts. Furthermore, the results of this operation paved a smooth way for the Tanzanians to finish off Amin in 1979.

The Israelis have a much greater role to play in the continent of Africa. It is not only with Ugandans but it is with the rest of the continent that they should help advance the skills of fighting terror and those who perpetrate it. Netanyahu’s last stop was Kenya, the same way his commandos left in 1976.