This Week in History: 30 Years Ago (1971)
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New Vision (Kampala) July 8, 2001

July 1, 1971

President Idi Amin launches the third Five-Year Development Plan at the Uganda International Conference Centre. He remained everyone in Uganda of a part to contribute to the success of the plan.

The aim of the plan was to make everybody in Uganda produce more crops, get more money and raise his or her standard of living. According to the plan, the government was to relocate people from over populated area to the less populated. And the government was to build a primary school in every village throughout the country.

July 2, 1971
Sugar scarcity biting hard. Queues get longer and frustrating as Kampala enters the fourth day without sugar. There are fears that the shortage would reach crisis proportions.

People started queuing at shops as early as 6.00am in bid to buy a kilo of sugar but many go home disappointed. The sugar gets finished, there is no sugar shopkeepers tell them.

At Wandegeya in Kampala shops closed as hundreds of customers besieged them demanding for sugar.

Talking about the beginning of queuing. President Amin was among the hundreds of motorists held up in roadblocks as the national-wide drive to catch tax evaders moved into high gear.

The General who was driving himself in a private car waited patiently in the queue until he was recognised and waved through.

July 4, 1971
Seventy officers and 600 men of the Uganda Armed Forces have been killed in the southern parts of Uganda. A long the Uganda - Tanzania border by dissidents operating from bases in Tanzania. This was revelled by Amin. And he sent out a strong warning to Tanzania to stop the incursion "they must understand that though we are silent about their incessant invasions we are not weak but want to keep peace and good relations with our neighbours".

July 5, 1971

A statement from President Amin's office says a Ugandan Minister of East African Community was prevented from carrying out his duties at the community's headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Community's Communication, Research and Social Services Minster Z.H Bigirwenkya was asked to leave the office by Tanzania police.

July 6, 1971
Bigiwenkya the EAC minister tells the press that Tanzania's Vice President, Rasidi Kawawa, ordered his removal from the community offices in Arusha.

Copyright © 2001 New Vision. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

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