Bazilio Olara-Okello

Bazilio Olara-Okello, born in 1929, was a prominent Ugandan military officer and politician who played a significant role in the tumultuous political landscape of Uganda during the late twentieth century. He was one of the key commanders of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), which, in collaboration with the Tanzanian army, orchestrated the coup d'état that successfully overthrew the regime of Idi Amin in 1979.

In 1985, Olara-Okello briefly held the position of Chairman of the ruling Military Council, effectively serving as the head of state of Uganda. His military career saw him rise to the rank of lieutenant-general and chief of the armed forces, a position he held during a critical period of civil unrest in the country.

The civil war in Uganda saw the UNLA, now the national army, clash with Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army. Tensions escalated when President Milton Obote appointed Brigadier Smith Opon Acak, an ethnic Lango, as army Chief of Staff, alienating many Acholi officers, including Olara-Okello and General Tito Okello. This discontent culminated in a coup d'état on 27 July 1985, led by an army brigade under Olara-Okello's command, which resulted in the dissolution of the National Assembly and the establishment of a Military Council.

Following the coup, Olara-Okello served as Chairman of the Military Council until 29 July, when he was succeeded by General Tito Okello. He was then promoted to Lieutenant General and continued to lead the armed forces until the National Resistance Army seized power on 26 January 1986. Subsequently, Olara-Okello fled to exile in Sudan, where he lived until his passing on 9 January 1990 in Omdurman Hospital, Khartoum.