Source

• Born: 1 January 1925 (?)
• Birthplace: Koboko, Uganda
• Died: 16 August 2003
• Best Known As: Ugandan dictator, 1971-79

Idi Amin (also known as Idi Amin Dada) was the nutty, ruthless dictator of the African nation of Uganda during the 1970s. He started out as a soldier in the British colonial army in 1946 and became one of its first Ugandan commissioned officers. Amin rose through the ranks and was eventually made the army's chief of staff under Uganda's first president, Milton Obote. In 1971 Amin overthrew Obote and seized power. He became internationally famous in 1976 when he provided a safe haven for hostage-holding Palestinian hijackers, who were then attacked and killed at Entebbe by Israeli forces. In 1978 Amin's forces invaded neighboring Tanzania, but Tanzanian forces drove them back and invaded Uganda, forcing Amin to flee. Amin used brutal force against opponents during his reign, and it is estimated that he is responsible for at least 100,000 deaths (some estimates run as high as 500,000). After fleeing Uganda he settled in Saudi Arabia. He died there in 2003, apparently succumbing to a mixture of hypertension, kidney failure and other ailments.

Between 1951 and 1960 Amin was Uganda's heavyweight boxing champ... Amin had near-celebrity status in the '70s, partly because of his goofball antics -- jumping into swimming pools in full uniform, for example... Most sources suggest Amin was born in 1925, though at his death Ugandan officials claimed that Amin was 80.

(b. West Nile, Uganda, 1925; d. 16 Aug. 2003) Ugandan; army commander 1966 – 71, head of state 1971 – 9 A member of the Kakwa ethnic group from north-west Uganda, Idi Amin Dada received little formal education and remained largely illiterate. He joined the colonial army in 1946, fought against Mau Mau in Kenya, and was heavyweight boxing champion of Uganda 1951 – 60. He became an officer as part of the Africanization of the army, and his close association with President Obote after independence in 1962 led to rapid promotion. Obote used Amin to suppress his domestic opponents, but came to fear him, and was about to replace him when Amin launched a pre-emptive coup in January 1971.

Despite benefiting from widespread dissatisfaction with Obote's rule, Amin soon lost support and ruled almost entirely by terror and coercion. Externally, he became a symbol of brutality, powerfully contributing to a declining sympathy for African rulers and to demands for human rights in Africa. Domestically, an estimated 300,000 Ugandans were killed by his government, and Amin was personally associated with the murder of opponents who included the Anglican Archbishop. The economy collapsed, not least as the result of the expulsion in 1972 of the Asian business community.

His eventual fall resulted from an ill-advised invasion of neighbouring Tanzania in 1978. Despite armed Libyan assistance, his army collapsed in the face of a Tanzanian counter-attack, aided by Ugandan exiles; in April 1979 he fled, first to Libya and then to Saudi Arabia, leaving Uganda in complete shambles.

As president of Uganda (1971-1979) Idi Amin Dada (born c. 1925) became notorious for massive violations of human rights, economic decline, and social disintegration.

Born between 1925 and 1927 in Koboko, West Nile Province, Idi Amin's father was a Kakwa. The Kakwa tribe exists in Uganda, Zaire (now Congo), and Sudan; some members of the tribe are associated with the Nubi, an uprooted population which emerged as a result of 19th century political upheavals. The Nubi (Nubians) are urbanized and individualistic, have a reputation for homicide and military careers, and are Muslims. Amin embraced Islam and attained a fourth grade education.

Amin was brought up by his mother, who abandoned his father to move to Lugazi. The death of his stepfather soon after separation from his mother led to speculation that he must have been either poisoned or "bewitched" by her.

Amin accompanied his mother and apparently acquired the militaristic qualifications prized by the British at that time: he was tall and strong, spoke the Kiswahili language, and lacked a good education, ensuring subservience. Enlisting in the army as a private in 1946, Amin impressed his superiors by being a good swimmer, rugby player, and boxer. He won the Uganda heavyweight boxing championship in 1951, a title he held for nine years. He was promoted to corporal in 1949.

Friendship with Obote

During the 1950s Amin fought against the Mau Mau African freedom fighters, who were opposed to British colonialism in Kenya. Despite his ruthless record during the uprisings, he was promoted to sergeant in 1951, lance corporal in 1953, and sergeant-major and platoon commander in 1958. In 1959 he attended a course in Nakuru (Kenya) where he performed so well that he was awarded the sword of honor and promoted to effendi, a rank invented for outstanding African non-commissioned officers (NCOs). By 1961 Amin and Shaban Opolot became the first two Ugandan commissioned officers with the rank of lieutenant.

In 1962 Amin participated in stopping cattle rustling between neighboring ethnic groups in Karamoja (Uganda) and Turkana (Kenya). Because of atrocities he committed during these operations, British officials recommended to Apolo Milton Obote (Uganda's prime minister) that he be prosecuted. Obote instead reprimanded him, since it would have been unpolitical to prosecute one of the two African commissioned officers just before Uganda was to gain her independence from Britain on October 9, 1962. Thereafter Amin was promoted to captain in 1962 and major in 1963 and was selected to participate in the commanding officers' course at Wiltshire school of infantry in Britain in 1963.

The need for pay increases and the removal of British officers led to an army mutiny in 1964. Amin was called upon to calm the soldiers. The resulting settlement from this crisis led to Amin's promotion to colonel and commanding officer of the First Battalion Uganda Rifles. The 1964 events catapulted the army into political prominence, something Amin fully understood, and he used the political process to gain favors from his superiors.

Amin's close association with Obote apparently began in 1965 when, in sympathy for the followers of Patrice Lumumba (the murdered prime minister of Congo), Obote asked Amin for help in establishing military training camps. Amin also brought coffee, ivory, and gold into Uganda from the Congo so that the rebels there could have money to pay for arms. The opponents of Obote, such as the Kabaka (king) of Buganda (one of Uganda's ancient precolonial kingdoms), wanted an investigation of the illegal entry of gold and ivory into Uganda. Obote appointed a face-saving commission of inquiry and promoted Amin to chief of staff in 1966 and to brigadier and major-general in 1967. An attack on the Kabaka's palace forced the king to flee to Britain, where he died in exile in 1969.

Amin Seizes Control

By 1968 the relationship between Obote and Amin went sour as the latter showed an interest in the young educated army officers and in creating paramilitary units. An attempted assassination on Obote in 1969 and Amin's suspicious behavior thereafter further widened the gap between the two men. These divisions became even more evident when Amin gave unauthorized assistance to the rebels fighting against the Sudanese government. It is unclear in light of these conflicts why Obote promoted Amin in 1970 to become chief of general staff, a position which gave him access to every aspect of the armed forces. Amin overthrew Obote's government on January 25, 1971.

Ugandans joyfully welcomed Amin. He was a towering charismatic figure and yet simple enough to shake hands with common people and participate in their traditional dances; he was charming, informal, and flexible: and because he married women from different ethnic groups, he was perceived as a nationalist. His popularity increased when he allowed the return of Kabaka's body for a royal burial, appointed a cabinet of technocrats, disbanded Obote's secret police, granted amnesty to political prisoners, and assured Ugandans that he would hand power back to the civilians.

During this euphoric period, Amin's other personality began to emerge: ruthless, capricious, cunning, shrewd, and a consummate liar. His "killer squads" systematically eliminated Obote's supporters and murdered two Americans (Nicholas Stroh and Robert Siedle) who were investigating massacres that had occurred at Mbarara barracks in Western Uganda. It was becoming clear that Amin's apparent friendliness, buffoonery, and clowning were but a mask to hide a terrible brutality.

In 1972 he savagely attacked the Israelis and the British who previously had been his close foreign allies. The bone of contention was his inability to procure arms from these countries. Once Muammar Qaddafi of Libya agreed to help, Amin immediately expelled the Israelis and 50,000 Asians holding British passports. The sudden expulsion of Asian traders not only wrecked Uganda's once prosperous economy, it also earned Amin a negative international image.

Between 1972 and 1979 Amin's overriding policy was to stay in power at any cost. Though outwardly looking brave, Amin was a coward. He was, for example, terrified in 1978 when a story circulated that a "talking tortoise" had predicted his downfall. He constantly changed body guards, travelling schedules and vehicles, and sleeping places. His promiscuous life style enabled him to have several possible sleeping places. At one time he was married to four wives and had over 30 mistresses. He controlled the army through frequent reorganization. The powerful position of chief of defense staff was abolished and replaced by army, air, and paratroop commanders. Similarly, when he was out of the country he entrusted power to a defense council made up of several people, making it hard for opponents to plot against him. He also appeased his forces by lavishing on them free whisky, tape recorders, expensive cars, rapid promotions, and lucrative businesses previously owned by Asian traders.

Trying to Stay in Power

Amin used institutionalized violence or terror to eliminate his real and imaginary enemies. His success in using terror was partly due to divisions among Ugandans who on different occasions became his willing spies. The human cost of Amin's rule was devastating not only in terms of the loss of thousands of Ugandans, but also because of its dehumanizing effects. Human life became less important than wealth. The ritualistic and sadistic methods used in the various murders led to conclusions by reputable doctors that Amin's "mental ill-health" must account for what transpired.

With most national funds devoted to the armed forces and to Amin's personal security, education, health, transport, food and cash-crop production, industrial and manufacturing sectors, and foreign investments were neglected. Despite his growing infamy, Amin was elected chairman of the prestigious Organization of African Unity (OAU) on July 28, 1975. Indeed, 1975 must have been a rewarding year for Amin, as his senior officers promoted him to field marshal. African countries also blocked in 1977 a United Nations resolution which would have condemned Amin for his gross violation of human rights. Through individuals and private companies in the West, Amin received torture equipment for his "killer squads," had his planes serviced and pilots trained, procured hard liquor for the army, and had his coffee sold.

By the late 1970s Amin's luck was running out. Coffee prices had plummeted from a high of $3.18 a pound to $1.28; the United States' stoppage of the purchase of Ugandan coffee in 1978 exacerbated the situation, and Arabs, who had generously donated funds, were concerned about Amin's failure to show how Uganda was being Islamized and why he was killing fellow Muslims. The deteriorating state of the economy made it difficult to import luxury consumer goods for the army. To divert attention from this internal crisis, Amin ordered an invasion of Tanzania in October 1978, allegedly because the latter planned to overthrow his government. The invaders were repelled. Tanzanians and exiled Ugandan soldiers then invaded Uganda and continued their pursuit of Amin until his government was overthrown on April 11, 1979. Amin fled to Libya, which had assisted throughout the years and during the war, but he later moved to Jidda, Saudi Arabia. Amin remained in Saudia Arabia until he was expelled in the early 1990s, when he relocated to Bahrain.

A continuing instability in Uganda attested to the enormous drain which Amin's policies had upon the political, economic, social, and cultural life of that country. Amin has been remembered best as the tyrant of Uganda who was responsible for a reign which was overwrought with mass killings and disarray.

Further Reading

Amin's fortune may be followed in: lain Grahame, Amin and Uganda: A Personal Memoir (London, 1980); David Gwyn, Idi Amin: Deathlight of Africa (1977); Henry Kyemba, State of Blood: The Inside Story of Idi Amin (1977); Judith Listowel, Amin (1973); David Martin, General Amin (London, 1974); Ali A. Mazrui, Soldiers and Kinsmen in Uganda (1975); and Thomas Medlady and Margaret Medlady, Idi Amin Dada: Hitler in Africa (1977).

president; dictator; military leader

Personal Information

Born c. 1925, in Koboko, West Nile, Uganda; died on August 16, 2003, in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia; multiple wives; children: about 50.

Career

Ugandan army, private, 1946-49, corporal, 1949-51, sergeant, 1951-53, lance corporal, 1953-58, sergeant major and platoon commander, 1958-61, lieutenant, 1961-62, captain, 1962-63, major, 1963-66, chief of staff, 1966-67, brigadier and major general, 1967-70, chief of general staff, 1970-71; Ugandan government, president, 1971-79; lived in exile in Saudi Arabia, 1979-2003.

Life's Work

Idi Amin Dada (pronounced EE-dee ah-MEEN) was a career soldier who took power in Uganda through a 1971 military coup. His eight-year rule was a bloody one, as Amin met opposition with brute force. It is estimated that over 300,000 people were killed during his regime. Ousted in 1979, Amin died in exile in 2003.

Amin was born between 1925 and 1927 in Koboko, in the West Nile province of Uganda. His father, Dada--Amin took his father's name in 1968--was a poor farmer and a member of the Kakwa tribe. Uganda is composed of numerous ethnic groups, and the Kakwa are one of the smallest groups in the country. Amin's mother left his father, taking Amin, who was still a baby, with her, moving to Lagazi. Later she moved near the camp of the King's African Rifles (a British regiment consisting of African soldiers) near Buikwe and began a relationship with an army corporal. It is said that Amin's mother practiced witchcraft and was known for her ability to heal.

Began Military Career

Amin, who attained only a fourth grade education, joined the army as a private in 1946. Although the British administered the country for nearly 70 years (1890 to 1962), the African nationalist movement was gaining momentum in the 1950s and the British began preparing for Ugandan independence. The British army started looking for Africans who could be promoted to officers. Amin--who impressed his superiors with his imposing stature, physical prowess, and willingness to obey orders--stood out, and he quickly rose through the army ranks. By 1949 he had reached the position of corporal, and saw three more promotions during the 1950s alone.

Also during the 1950s Amin fought in Kenya against freedom fighters who opposed British rule there, ruthlessly working to put down the uprising. In 1962 he served in the Karamoja, northeast Uganda, and in Turkana, Kenya, to stop cattle thievery among neighboring ethnic groups. Due to charges of brutality and excessive force after these incidents, the British urged Prime Minister Apolo Milton Obote to prosecute him, but Obote chose instead to merely reprimand Amin.

On October 9, 1963, Uganda became a fully independent nation. The newly elected prime minister, Obote, sent the British officers home and sought training for his army from Israeli troops. He also moved toward government ownership of the 85 mostly foreign-owned companies. The government also assumed 60 percent ownership of the major Ugandan businesses.

During this time Amin assisted Obote in the creation of army training camps. Obote then promoted Amin to brigadier general and then to major general. Amin began to build his own personal base of support by enlisting and promoting the Kakwa, and the Nubians, also from his region of the country.

By 1969 public support for Obote's changes had wanned. And, after a failed assassination attempt in December of 1969, Obote's relationship with Amin was strained. When Amin heard the news of the attempt, he fled from his home. This move sparked speculations that Amin himself had been involved in the death plot. Yet Obote still promoted Amin to chief of general staff in 1970, a position which afforded him access to every arm of the Ugandan military.

Became President After Coup

As disagreements arose between the two men over foreign policy issues, Obote eventually decided to reduce Amin's authority and possibly arrest him. Amin took action, and on January 25, 1971, he assumed control of the government while Obote was attending a conference in Singapore. Obote, who learned of the coup as he was returning home, sought refuge instead in Kenya.

Amin was an immediately popular figure. A towering and charismatic man, Amin was still friendly and approachable, happy to shake hands with common people. "If he saw people doing local dances," Major-General Isaac Lumago told The Economist, "he would join in." He also made several popular decisions as his regime began. He granted amnesty to political prisoners, disbanded Obote's secret police, and expelled all the Indian traders in Uganda--the Indians had gained a nearly complete monopoly in the trading sector. In addition, he kept his army content by providing them with whiskey, cars, and other luxury items, as well as ensuring rapid promotions.

However, Amin's ruthlessness soon revealed itself. His coup had been popular among some elements in the military, but not all. To eliminate any possibility of opposition, Amin ordered the execution of 600 soldiers who had served under Obote. He formed extermination squads that purged entire ethnic groups within the garrisons, which especially targeted Langi and Acholi officers (who had supported Obote).

Amin personally took over the running of the government, consolidating his power. Three security groups--the military police, the Public Safety Unit, and the State Research Center--enforced his decisions. The Public Safety Unit (PSU) took over the role of the civilian police. PSU members were armed with submachine guns and were granted extensive powers to arrest citizens and to search and seize properties. Later, they were given the right to detain citizens indefinitely. PSU headquarters were located on a main road, and executions were conducted in full view of the public. The State Research Center also conducted public executions in its headquarters in the center of the capital.

Uganda's Economy Collapsed

The country, however, suffered from economic mismanagement. It wasn't long before the economy collapsed due to the expulsion of Indian traders and the chaos that followed. In addition, Amin spent excessive amounts of money on the military, neglecting such areas as health, industry, and education. Instead, Amin increased the military's share of the Ugandan budget from 20 percent to 60 percent in his first year of rule alone. In this declining economy, Uganda could not repay its debts or finance new purchases.

Amin needed funding, so he sought to align himself with Libya. He ordered the Israelis out of Uganda and in February of 1972 announced plans to make Uganda a Muslim nation. Libya then sent money and military support, as well as funds to support Muslim mosques and the spread of Islam.

But Libya's aid was not enough to restore the country. Several groups began to place pressure on Amin. In December of 1976 a group of church officials asked Amin to end the suffering in Uganda. A military delegation also requested that Amin restore order. In response, Amin launched massacres on a massive scale. Bodies were often dumped into the Nile river.

Outside pressures also increased. Criticisms came from Zambia, Tanzania, and the British, and this fueled internal divisions. Various troop divisions began to rebel, and Amin attempted to divert attention with a false report of a Tanzanian invasion. Ugandan troops retaliated against the innocent Tanazania, devastating the area, robbing and pillaging, burning and looting. The Tanzanians pushed the Ugandans back across the border and pursued them into Ugandan territory. When the capital of Kampala fell on April 10, 1979, Amin, along with his wives, numerous mistresses, and children, had already boarded a plane to Libya. He then sought refuge in Saudi Arabia.

Exiled to Saudi Arabia

The Saudis granted him sanctuary, under the condition that he refrain from political activity or commentary, and Amin spent the last 24 years of his life in Saudi Arabia. He was paid a monthly stipend that allowed his large family to live comfortably in a Jiddah villa. He reportedly spent his time swimming, fishing in the Red Sea, and watching satellite television.

A ruthless and cruel man, Amin could also be a ridiculous figure. He volunteered himself as king of Scotland so that the Scots could be free of British rule and sent telegrams to the Queen of England, taunting her. He also once challenged the president of Tanzania to a boxing match.

In July of 2003 Amin was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. He was in a coma when admitted. After suffering kidney failure, he was placed on life support. As his condition deteriorated, his family requested that he be granted amnesty so that he could die in his home country. Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, however, said that Amin would be arrested and tried for the atrocities committed during his eight-year rule. The Human Rights Watch, based in New York City, called Amin, according to the Africa News Service, "one of the bloodiest tyrants in a bloody country" and expressed regret that Amin would die without facing justice. Several death threats were anonymously telephoned to the hospital, so guards were posted at Amin's room.

Two people volunteered to act as kidney donors for Amin, but both potential donors were incompatible with Amin. A month after being admitted to the hospital, Amin had to undergo kidney dialysis every hour. Amin died on August 16, 2003. A Muslim, he was buried in Mecca.

Awards

Uganda heavyweight boxing champion, 1951.

Further Reading

Books

• African Biography, UXL, 1999.
• Decalo, Samuel, Psychoses of Power: African Personal Dictatorships, Westview Press.
• Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., Gale, 1998.
• Omara-Otunnu, Amii, Politics and the Military in Uganda: 1890-1985, St. Martin's, 1987.
• Smith, George Ivan, Ghosts of Kampala: The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin, St. Martin's, 1980.
• World of Criminal Justice, Gale, 2002.

Periodicals

• Africa News Service, July 28, 2003; August 2, 2003; August 12, 2003; August 14, 2003; September 22, 2003.
• Economist, August 23, 2003.
• Jet, September 1, 2003.
• Newsweek, August 25, 2003.
• New York Times, August 17, 2003.
• Time, December 11, 2000.

— Jennifer M. York

For more information on Idi Amin Dada Oumee, visit Britannica.com.

(ē'dē amēn') , c.1925–2003, Ugandan army officer and dictator. From the small Kakwa ethnic group, he advanced in the Ugandan armed forces from private (1946) to major general (1968). In 1971 he seized control of the government, toppling the regime of Milton Obote. In power, Amin exhibited an unpredictable personality, often capricious and cruel yet displaying a modicum of shrewdness and cunning. His relatively brief regime was nonetheless vicious and corrupt; he brutally suppressed other ethnic groups and political enemies, killed what is believed to be nearly 300,000 (most innocent of any wrongdoing), tortured uncounted thousands more, and looted the nation's treasury. In 1972 he ordered the expulsion of Ugandans of Asian extraction, thrusting the nation into economic chaos. Tanzanian troops joined exiled Ugandan nationalists to invade Uganda in 1978, and Amin was driven into exile in Saudi Arabia the following year.

Bibliography

See J. T. Strate, Post-Military Coup Strategy in Uganda: Amin's Early Attempts to Consolidate Political Support in Africa (1973), H. Kyemba, A State of Blood (1977), D. Barnett and R. Wooding, Uganda Holocaust (1980), and P. A. Allen, Interesting Times: Life in Uganda under Idi Amin (2000); B. Schroeder, dir., General Idi Amin Dada (documentary film, 1976; video, 2002).