Yoweri Museveni
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.
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 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 has failed to end the long-running rebellion of the Lord's Resistance Army in northern Uganda. This rebellion, led by the self-proclaimed prophet Joseph Kony, has ostensibly been waged for the sake of establishing a government founded on the biblical Ten Commandments, and at least 500,000 people are believed to have lost their lives so far. The northern districts of Gulu, Pader and Kitgum have seen an increase in the number of people driven out of their homes into refugee camps, the number currently stands at 800,000 people.
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.