26. Milton Obote, ousted by Idi Amin, was a hated ruler of Uganda as well
When Idi Amin overthrew Milton Obote’s government while the latter was attending a meeting in Singapore it was widely welcomed by the Ugandan people, which allowed Amin to consolidate power quickly. Obote was a corrupt and tyrannical ruler, implicated (with Amin) in plots smuggling both gold and ivory during his term as prime minister. In response to such accusations, he suspended the Ugandan parliament, declared martial law, named himself president and through that office issued emergency decrees which effectively suppressed dissent and opposition to his policies. Following an attempted assassination in 1969, Obote used the Ugandan secret police, run by his cousin, to terrorize the Ugandan people, and those who dared to speak against his regime were sentenced to life imprisonment without trial. Obote’s personal corruption and despotism led to the people supporting the overthrow of the hated ruler, who fled to exile in Tanzania. He later returned to power in Uganda, in a regime which was equally as bad as his first.