Learn about the life of military dictator Idi Amin. Explore facts such as his rise to power in Uganda, his time as the president, his deposition, exile, and death.
Introduction
Idi Amin was a Ugandan dictator, military officer, and politician who ruled as the third president of Uganda, a country in central-eastern Africa, from 1971 to 1979. Idi Amin was a brutal military dictator responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Ugandans. He died in 2003 from kidney failure.
Idi Amin ruled Uganda from 1971 to 1979.
Biography:
Idi Amin grew up in Uganda at a time when the country was a British colony. At the time, Britain controlled many African countries as part of its vast colonial empire. Amin served within the British colonial army. When Uganda became independent in 1962, Idi Amin rose through the military ranks. He seized power in a coup in 1971, ruling as a brutal dictator for many years before being toppled in a war with the neighboring country Tanzania. Afterward, Idi Amin lived most of the rest of his life in Saudi Arabia.
Early Life:
Historians are not sure where exactly Idi Amin was born. Accounts state he was born roughly in 1925 in Koboko, a small town in rural northwestern Uganda, or the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Some accounts state his father was a Muslim Ugandan by the name of Amin Dada and his mother was Assa Aatte, an herbalist. When he was young, Idi Amin attended an Islamic school in central Uganda, where he learned the tenets of Islam and some basic English.
Life in the Army:
In 1946, Idi Amin began to work as a cook in the British King’s African Rifles, a military unit recruited from Africans. At this time Amin also received training as an infantryman, then served in the African Rifles in neighboring Kenya. In 1949, Idi Amin served as a soldier in the Shifta War, a conflict between the Kenyan colonial government and northern Somali separatists. A few years later, Amin again saw fighting in the Mau Mau Rebellion. In this conflict, the Mau Mau rebels sought to cast off the yoke of British imperialism and prevent further British settlers from encroaching on their land. During the war against the Mau Mau rebels, Idi Amin rose through the ranks of the African Rifles. By 1959, Amin was promoted to the highest rank attainable by a man of his ethnicity: a Warrant Officer.
During his years in the army, Idi Amin was also an athlete. He was over six feet tall and had the strength and stamina to be a successful boxer, swimmer, and rugby player.
In 1962, Uganda achieved its independence from Britain. As an experienced soldier, Idi Amin quickly rose up through the ranks. He also made alliances with powerful politicians, including Prime Minister Apollo Milton Obote. Obote had led the cause for Ugandan independence against Britain and had come to power by forming a coalition with Mutesa II, a powerful king within the country who was made president.
In 1965, scandal rocked Idi Amin as it was discovered he had opened a new bank account and deposited a suspiciously large amount of money. Prime Minister Obote came to the aid of his ally by stating the money was part of a secret operation to sponsor rebels in neighboring Congo. As the scandal expanded to include inquiries into Obote’s own corruption, President Mutesa began to mobilize his allies against Obote. Obote instead struck first; he suspended the constitution, declared himself president, and arrested his rivals. Idi Amin mobilized an army, marched against Mutesa, sieged his palace, and forced him into exile.
Seizing Power:
With Obote now President, Idi Amin became the head of the army and the second-most powerful man in Uganda. However, a rift formed between the two men. Various reasons have been suggested by historians. Some have observed that Idi Amin recruited plenty of South Sudanese men to the army, which eliminated Obote’s influence over the army. Others have pointed out that Obote’s socialist policies threatened the privileged economic station of the military. Some have suggested that Britain and Israel were involved in the rift, as they opposed Obote’s policies.
In any case, Obote began to look upon Idi Amin with suspicion. In 1970, he reduced the authority of Idi Amin and later began to investigate him for misappropriating army funds and planned to have him arrested. In early 1971, when Obote was attending an international summit meeting in Singapore, Idi Amin launched a coup. Soldiers occupied key buildings in the country. Idi Amin addressed Uganda and stated he had seized power to stop the corruption of the government. He promised to release political prisoners and hold democratic elections.
Presidency:
One week after the coup, Idi Amin declared himself President of Uganda. He suspended the constitution and appointed military loyalists to key positions. While the Ugandan constitution still stated the country was a democratic republic, Amin’s emergency measures made the country into a military dictatorship. In 1976, Idi Amin even had himself declared president for life.
Lesson Summary:
Idi Amin was an African dictator who ruled over Uganda from 1971 to 1979.
Historians do not know when or where exactly he was born. In his early career, he served in the British King’s African Rifles, a British military unit, and fought against rebels in neighboring countries. When Uganda became independent in 1962, Idi Amin quickly rose through the ranks due to his military experience and alliance with Prime Minister Milton Obote. After Obote seized power for himself, the two men had a falling out, and in 1971 Idi Amin overthrew Obote and declared himself president.
During his nearly ten years in power, Idi Amin ruled as a ruthless military dictator who had hundreds of thousands killed. He expelled all Indian Ugandans, targeted other ethnic minorities, and launched a disastrous war against Tanzania in 1978 which ultimately led to his defeat the next year. Idi Amin fled the country and ultimately lived the rest of his life in Saudi Arabia. In his later years, he gained the nickname Dr. Jaffa thanks to the large number of oranges he consumed. In 2003, the once-dictator of Uganda died of kidney failure.
NOTE:
Who defeated Idi Amin?
Idi Amin was defeated by the Tanzanian army, joined by Ugandan rebels. Had he been a wiser ruler, Idi Amin likely would not have brought about his own defeat.
NOTE:
Is Idi Amin still living?
No, Idi Amin died in 2003 from kidney failure. He was living at the time in Saudi Arabia, particularly the city of Jeddah.
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