Talk:Dusman Sabuni

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It is quite possible that the confusing reports about Sabuni stem from other people named Sabuni (besides his own father) playing a role in Amin's government. A. Kasozi tells us in Social Origins of Violence in Uganda, 1964-1985 of "Juma Sabuni" and "Sabuni Ali" who were involved in the 1971 purges. According to John Daimon, "Juma Sabuni" served as Minister of Industry and Development in March 1979 and was one of Amin's last followers as well as a member of his final war council. To add to the confusion, this article says that "Juma Sabuni" as being "formerly minister of industry and power and currently minister of transportation" in 1977. One might be tempted to think that Dusman Sabuni and "Juma Sabuni" are the same person, but oh no! The BBC interviewed "Juma Sabuni" in Uganda in 2002, describing him as former neighbour and friend of Amin who thinks that the President was "brilliant" and still is full of nostalgia. This "Juma Sabuni" might be a different person than the previous "Juma Sabuni",. but I honestly think that it would make sense that they are the same.
So, overall, what can me make of it? Not much, though I personally assume that Dusman Sabuni was not the one leading the defence of Kampala; it was "Juma Sabuni" who also served as Minister of Industry and was thus often confused with the former. Perhaps the whole looting incident also stemmed from confusion about Sabuni's identity. Perhaps the culprit was Juma Sabuni, the one who served at the last war council and fled alongside Amin? Who knows. Applodion (talk) 10:27, 28 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@Applodion: There does indeed seem to be some confusion over the identities here. Even the normally stellar African Contemporary Record in one instance refers to him as "Juma Dusman Sabuni". I do agree with you that likely there is a real Juma Sabuni and a scattering of other instances where it is actually Dusman. I do believe that it was actually this Dusman Sabuni who defended Kampala. This Nile Post article refers to "Uganda’s best Israeli trained paratrooper Dusman Sabuni" being instructed on 8 April 1979 to block the Tanzanian advance before they took the capital. We know from other sources that this Sabuni was indeed trained as a paratrooper and, combined with Avirgan & Honey's minor comment about him being in charge of defences, it seems quite plausible. -Indy beetle (talk) 20:23, 28 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@Indy beetle: Mmmh, interesting. The Nile Post article indeed strongly suggests that it was indeed Dusman, though it directly contradicts his own claim about having fled Kampala on 8 April (the day he was appointed as commander for the defences). That would imply that his entire testimony is a lie (which would not be surprising). Though the question remains, what role did Juma Sabuni play? Well, even though every new source seems to add new mysteries about Amin's regime, at least now people can learn that these mysteries exist. Applodion (talk) 20:39, 28 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Possible sources[edit]