Brig. Charles Arube

 Brig. Charles Arube; Sandhusrt trained officer from Kakwa tribe.

Shot by Amin himself

Three gunshots that ended the coup against Amin

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After about 10 minutes of total silence Brig Charles Arube made the second mistake, attempting to capture president Idi Amin by himself. Little did he know that Amin was hiding behind the door. Illustration by Alex Kwizera 

By Faustin Mugabe

Posted  Sunday, July 26   2015 at  01:00

In Summary

Costly mistake. In a continuation from last week, retired Captain Isaac Bakka, Brig Charles Arube’s accomplice in the March 1974 attempted coup against president Idi Amin, narrates how Arube blundered. He says Arube changed the initial plan and ended up in Amin’s ambush at his famous command post at Kololo Hill in Kampala where the president had been trapped, writes Faustin Mugabe.

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“He told me that as Arube entered, Amin hid behind the main door. It did not cross his mind that it would be possible [for Amin to take cover behind the door]. Arube ignored the door and just passed.”
“He thought the target [Amin] was hiding inside other rooms in the house. His attention was on the other rooms. Unfortunately, he had left Amin behind. Amin fired three bullets which hit Arube from his back.”
“He fell face down – meaning the bullets came from behind. The hole where the bullet comes out is bigger than where it enters from. I happened to see Arube’s body at the Mulago hospital mortuary, it had three bullet holes.”
“Immediately Amin recognised Sgt Toburo, he put him at gun point, saying ‘I’m going to kill you. Where is your brother?”
“Then he said [to Toburo], ‘you say Arube killed himself. You must never say I killed him. [You must say] after he [Arube] realised he couldn’t succeed, out of fear of embarrassment, he turned the gun on himself. I want you to maintain that.’ Now, that is the story which many people believed.”
Sgt Toburo was taken to Radio Uganda and said what Amin had told him to say.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/PeoplePower/Three-gunshots-that-ended-the-coup-against-Amin/-/689844/2807990/-/5agj00/-/index.html