Idi Amin Dada was born c.
1925 in Koboko, in northwestern Uganda, to a Kakwa father and Lugbara mother,
who separated shortly afterwards. In 1946, after receiving only a rudimentary
education, Amin joined the King’s African Rifles (KAR), a regiment of the
British colonial army, and quickly rose through the ranks. He was deployed to
Somalia in 1949 to fight the Shifta rebels and later fought with the British
during the suppression of the Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya (1952-56). In 1959 he
attained the rank of effendi—the highest position for a black African soldier
within the KAR—and, by 1966, he had been appointed commander of the armed
forces.
During his time in the army,
Amin became the light heavyweight boxing champion of Uganda, a title he held
for nine years between 1951 and 1960.
AMIN COMMANDEERS CONTROL
OF UGANDA’S GOVERNMENT
After more than 70 years
under British rule, Uganda gained its independence on October 9, 1962, and
Milton Obote became the nation’s first prime minister. By 1964, Obote had
forged an alliance with Amin, who helped expand the size and power of the
Ugandan Army. In February 1966, following accusations that the pair was
responsible for smuggling gold and ivory from Congo that were subsequently
traded for arms, Obote suspended the constitution and proclaimed himself
executive president. Shortly thereafter, Obote sent Amin to dethrone King
Mutesa II, also known as “King Freddie,” who ruled the powerful kingdom of
Buganda in south-central Uganda.
A few years and two
failed—but unidentified—assassination attempts later, Obote began to question
Amin’s loyalty and ordered his arrest while en route to Singapore for a
Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference. During his absence, Amin took the
offensive and staged a coup on January 25, 1971, seizing control of the
government and forcing Obote into exile.
AMIN’S REGIME OF TERROR
Once in power, Amin began
mass executions upon the Acholi and Lango, Christian tribes that had been loyal
to Obote and therefore perceived as a threat. He also began terrorizing the
general public through the various internal security forces he organized, such
as the State Research Bureau (SRB) and Public Safety Unity (PSU), whose main
purpose was to eliminate those who opposed his regime.
In 1972, Amin expelled
Uganda’s Asian population, which numbered between 50,000 and 70,000, resulting
in a collapse of the economy as manufacturing, agriculture and commerce came to
a screeching halt without the appropriate resources to support them.
When the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked an Air France flight from Israel to
Paris on June 27, 1976, Idi Amin welcomed the terrorists and supplied them with
troops and weapons, but was humiliated when Israeli commandos subsequently
rescued the hostages in a surprise raid on the Entebbe airport. In the
aftermath, Amin ordered the execution of several airport personnel, hundreds of
Kenyans whom were believed to have conspired with Israel and an elderly British
hostage who had previously been escorted to a nearby hospital.
Throughout his oppressive
rule, Amin was estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of roughly
300,000 civilians.
AMIN LOSES CONTROL AND ENTERS EXILE
Over time, the number of
Amin’s intimate allies dwindled and formerly loyal troops began to mutiny. When
some fled across the border into Tanzania, Amin accused Tanzanian President
Julius Nyerere of instigating the unrest and retaliated by annexing the Kagera
Salient, a strip of territory north of the Kagera River, in November 1978. Two
weeks later, Nyerere mobilized a counter-offensive to recapture the land, and
drove the Ugandan Army out with the help of Ugandan exiles. The battle raged
into Uganda, and on April 11, 1979, Amin was forced to flee when Kampala was
captured. Although he originally sought refuge in Libya, he later moved to
Saudi Arabia, where he lived comfortably until his death of multiple organ
failure in 2003.
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