where he is." He was succeeded as Chief of Staff by Ali Fadhul. Exile in Zaire and return to Uganda When Gowon arrived in Arua, West Nile, he initially laid low and planned his possible exile. However, he eventually chanced upon a detachment of Ugandan soldiers who knew him. These troopers arrested him as traitor, and confiscated his wealth. By chance, Gowon's old ally Mustafa Adrisi visited Arua shortly after his arrest, and ordered his release. Adrisi told Gowon that he should flee Uganda as soon as possible, and the former Chief of Staff followed this recommendation. He was unsure whether to go into exile in Zaire or Sudan, but chose the former because most Amin loyalists – who intended to kill him – were fleeing to Sudan. Gowon initially found refuge with Catholic missionaries. Meanwhile, Amin's regime collapsed as the Tanzanians and their Ugandan rebel allies occupied Kampala, prompting most Uganda Army loyalists to flee into Sudan and Zaire. Zairean dictator Mobutu Sese Seko allowed the Ugandan exiles, including Gowon, to stay in his country. As many believed that Gowon had actually been bribed by the Tanzanians and lost the war on purpose, he became a persona non grata among the Ugandan exiles and thus excluded from plans by Amin loyalists to launch a rebellion to regain power. Gowon was actually pleased about this, as he had no interest in resuming fighting. Instead, Gowon focused on building a new life in Zaire, taking up residency in Kisangani. By befriending a Zairean customs officer, he had transported some trucks out of Uganda and would subsequently rent them out. He was also involved in smuggling, and eventually made enough money to buy a house in Bunia where he was joined by two of his wives. At the same time, Uganda descended into civil war which resulted in Yoweri Museveni's rise to presidency in 1986. Museveni's government focused on national reconstruction, and offered reconciliation to Amin's former followers. Gowon took up this offer in 1994. He returned to Uganda with 25 other ex-officers, hundreds of dependants, and over ten thousand civilian refugees. Museveni personally welcomed Gowon back to Uganda, and the two even laughingly reminisced about the 1972 invasion during which they had fought each other (Museveni had been part of Obote's rebel alliance at the time). Mbarara threw a "huge party" in Gowon's honor. The Ugandan government rented him a house