Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (born 1944) has been the President of Uganda since 1986. His time in office has been marked by some notable successes of domestic policy, but also by continuing rebellion in the north of the country and by Uganda's involvement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's civil war and other great lakes region conflicts
For five years, he commanded the National Resistance Army in a rebellion against President Milton Obote and the military regime that succeeded him. He finally captured the capital, Kampala, in January 1986, although widespread resistance to his rule continued for another two years.
Museveni has won praise from Western governments for privatising state enterprises, cutting government spending and urging African self-reliance, but has also come in for criticism over Uganda's involvement in conflicts in neighbouring Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Perhaps Museveni's most remarkable accomplishment has been his successful campaign against AIDS. During the 1980s, Uganda had one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, but now Uganda's rates are comparatively low, and the country stands as a rare success story in the global battle against the virus.
Museveni's personal relationship with Paul Kagame led to support of the October 1990 invasion of the Rwandan Patriotic Army that began the Rwandan Civil War , as well as the 1994 invasion that ended the Rwandan Genocide. Museveni and Kagame supported the rebel Laurent Kabila during the First Congo War, and turned against him to begin the Second Congo War. While Museveni successfully dealt with insurgencies by the West Nile Bank Front, Uganda National Rescue Front II , Uganda People's Democratic Army and Allied Democratic Forces, he has failed to end the long-running rebellion of the Lord's Resistance Army in northern Uganda. This rebellion, at its height, caused the internal displacement of about 1.5 million Ugandans. Members of the Museveni family have been accused of personally profiting from the looting of natural resources in the eastern part of the DRC, and the government has also been criticized for aggravating the Ituri conflict, a sub-conflict of the Second Congo War.
Under Museveni, Uganda is governed under the Movement system. All political activities are banned and although to some degree people are allowed to air their opinions, any public gathering whose purpose is political is considered treason. Anyone standing for office must do so as an individual without any supportive system behind them.
Museveni has won two five-year terms as president (in 1996 and 2001) and is presently barred from seeking another term in 2006, but there is widespread speculation that his Movement will attempt to change the constitution to enable him to run again.
