Idi Amin Dada (In power: 1971 – 1979)
For those who have seen the film The Last King of Scotland (2006), you would have sat through a fictionalized version of a few of the terrible events that occurred in Uganda in the 1970s. For the rest of the world, the view of the president of Uganda would have been that the country was being led by an African buffoon. But the reality for thousands of Ugandans was far worse and widespread. Estimates have been made that up to 300,000 Ugandans and others perished during his reign.
Idi Amin Dada was believed to have been born in 1925 and was a member of the Kakwe tribe in northwestern Uganda. Amin was not well educated but this was compensated for by his sheer natural strength and size, he stood at 6 feet 4 inches, which towered over many other Africans. This drew the attention of the British military who occupied Uganda as part of their colonial control. In 1946, Amin joined the famed King’s African Rifles as an assistant cook. His charisma and physical skills helped him to rise quickly within the ranks. From 1952-1956, Amin participated in the suppression of the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya. In 1961 he was commissioned as an officer, one of only two Ugandans to be so elevated. But during these years, Amin began to gain a reputation for his bravery as well as for his cruelty.
After Uganda’s independence, Amin rose quickly in the ranks of the newly formed Uganda Army. In 1971, he led a military coup which overthrew President Milton Obote. At first, he promised to be an enlightened leader. But Amin soon began his murderous reign as he eliminated rival tribal members of the army and then moved to do so with opposition politicians, student activists, businessmen, and even the clergy. Bodies began to fill the Nile River (a favorite tactic of Amin was to dump the bodies of victims into the Nile River feed the Nile crocodiles). In 1972, he forcibly expelled all the South Asian residents in Uganda which crippled the economy. The “Butcher of Uganda” as he was to become known as, would have continued his rule for many years if he had not overstepped his bounds by invading a part of Tanzania in 1978. In retaliation the Tanzanian Army invaded Uganda and Amin fled into exile. He would live in Saudi Arabia until 2003 where he died of organ failure.