Silas Mayunga

Silas Mayunga
Nickname(s)	"The artillery wizard" "Mti Mkavu" (Swahili: dry tree)
Died	6 August 2011 Delhi, India
Allegiance	Tanganyika  Tanzania
Service / branch	Tanganyika Rifles Tanzania People's Defence Force
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	206th Brigade TPDF Task Force TPDF
Battles / wars	Uganda–Tanzania War Invasion of Kagera Battle of Gayaza Hills Western Uganda campaign of 1979

Silas Paul Mayunga (6 August 2011) was a Tanzanian military officer and diplomat.

Biography

Mayunga served in the Tanganyika Rifles as a second lieutenant and was stationed in Lugalo.[1] During the Tanganyika Rifles mutiny of January 1964 he was in Tabora.[2]

In October 1978 Uganda, ruled by Idi Amin, invaded and occupied the Kagera Salient in northern Tanzania, initiating the Uganda–Tanzania War.[3] Mayunga, serving as a brigadier in the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF), led a brigade into Kagera after the Uganda Army withdrew.[4] The TPDF invaded Uganda in early 1979, and Mayunga commanded the 206th Brigade as it advanced into the southwestern portion of the country and seized Mbarara.[5][6] During the war his troops commonly referred to him as "the artillery wizard".[5] After leading forces into Uganda, his men nicknamed him "Mti Mkavu" (Swahili: dry tree) in reference to his perceived durability.[7] Following the capture of Mbarara and Masaka, the TPDF halted to reorganise.[8] On March 21 Mayunga was promoted to major general and given charge of a newly formed "Task Force",[9] a unit consisting of the 206th Brigade and the Minziro Brigade, which was semi-autonomous from the TPDF's main invasion force, the 20th Division, in southeastern Uganda.[8] While the 20th Division attacked Kampala and other major locations, the Task Force advanced north into western Uganda in the following months, engaging Ugandan troops conducting rearguard defensive actions.[10] On 3 June 1979 Mayunga accompanied the Minziro Brigade as it secured the last portion of unoccupied Ugandan territory along the Sudanese border, ending the war. At the frontier, he delivered a short victory speech to his soldiers, telling them, "You've taught Idi Amin a lesson he'll never forget."[11] He was later awarded by the new Ugandan government for his role in overthrowing Amin's regime.[12]

In 1990 Mayunga was appointed as an envoy to Ghana.[13]

Mayunga died on 6 August 2011 at the age of 71 in Delhi, India while undergoing medical treatment.[12] His body was repatriated to Tanzania two days later.[14] Uhuru Stadium in Bukoba was renamed Mayunga Stadium in his honour.[15]

Citations

1. Tanganyika Rifles Mutiny 1993, p. 178.
2. Tanganyika Rifles Mutiny 1993, p. 137.
3. Avirgan & Honey 1983, pp. 61–62.
4. Avirgan & Honey 1983, p. 68.
5. Mmbando 1980, p. 54.
6. Avirgan & Honey 1983, p. 82.
7. Mzirai 1980, p. 63.
8. Avirgan & Honey 1983, p. 86.
9. Mzirai 1980, p. 74.
10. Avirgan & Honey 1983, p. 174.
11. Avirgan & Honey 1983, pp. 195–196.
12. "In Memoriam: Maj. Gen. Silas Paul Mayunga". United Peace Federation. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
13. "Credentials presented". West Africa. No. 3776–3792. 1990. p. 387.
14. Bitekeye, Alex (9 August 2011). "Tanzania: Last Respects to Mayunga Set for Today At Lugalo". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
15. Mulisa, Meddy (19 August 2016). "Tanzania: Why Kagera Residents Must Beware of Illegal Aliens". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 20 May 2019.

References

• Avirgan, Tony; Honey, Martha (1983). War in Uganda: The Legacy of Idi Amin. Dar es Salaam: Tanzania Publishing House. ISBN 978-9976-1-0056-3.
• Mmbando, S. I. (1980). The Tanzania-Uganda war in pictures. Dar es Salaam: Longman Tanzania. ISBN 978-0-582-78534-2.
• Mzirai, Baldwin (1980). Kuzama kwa Idi Amin (in Swahili). Dar es Salaam: Publicity International. OCLC 9084117.
• Tanganyika Rifles Mutiny: January 1964. Dar es Salaam University Press. 1993. ISBN 9789976601879.