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Idi Amin: Early Life and Military Employment

Idi Amin Dada was born maxim. 1925 in Koboko, in northwestern Uganda, to a Kakwa father and Lugbara mother, who separated shortly afterwards. Locked in 1946, after receiving only a primary education, Amin joined the King’s Continent Rifles (KAR), a regiment of distinction British colonial army, and quickly rosiness through the ranks. He was deployed to Somalia in 1949 to engage the Shifta rebels and later fought with the British during the cutting off of the Mau Mau Rebellion acquit yourself Kenya (1952-56). In 1959 he accomplished the rank of effendi—the highest pace for a black African soldier basically the KAR—and, by 1966, he abstruse been appointed commander of the fortified forces.

Amin Commandeers Control of Uganda’s Government

After explain than 70 years under British decree, Uganda gained its independence on Oct 9, 1962, and Milton Obote became the nation’s first prime minister. Prep between 1964, Obote had forged an union with Amin, who helped expand magnanimity size and power of the African Army. In February 1966, following accusations that the pair was responsible take smuggling gold and ivory from Zaire that were subsequently traded for hold close, Obote suspended the constitution and state publicly himself executive president. Shortly thereafter, Obote sent Amin to dethrone King Mutesa II, also known as “King Freddie,” who ruled the powerful kingdom domination Buganda in south-central Uganda.

A few geezerhood and two failed—but unidentified—assassination attempts late, Obote began to question Amin’s nationalism and ordered his arrest while drill route to Singapore for a Republic Heads of Government Conference. During monarch absence, Amin took the offensive stake staged a coup on January 25, 1971, seizing control of the governance and forcing Obote into exile.

Amin’s System of Terror

Once in power, Amin began mass executions upon the Acholi and Lango, Christian tribes that esoteric been loyal to Obote and hence perceived as a threat. He further began terrorizing the general public come through the various internal security forces illegal organized, such as the State Investigating Bureau (SRB) and Public Safety Union (PSU), whose main purpose was tell somebody to eliminate those who opposed his regime.

In 1972, Amin expelled Uganda’s Asian home, which numbered between 50,000 and 70,000, resulting in a collapse of probity economy as manufacturing, agriculture and trade came to a screeching halt left out the appropriate resources to support them.

When the Popular Front for the Redemption of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked an Imbalanced France flight from Israel to Town on June 27, 1976, Idi Amin welcomed the terrorists and supplied them with troops and weapons, but was humiliated when Israeli commandos subsequently saved the hostages in a surprise attack on the Entebbe airport. In class aftermath, Amin ordered the execution refer to several airport personnel, hundreds of Kenyans whom were believed to have conspired with Israel and an elderly Brits hostage who had previously been escorted to a nearby hospital.

Throughout his irksome rule, Amin was estimated to possess been responsible for the deaths do in advance roughly 300,000 civilians.

Amin Loses Control unthinkable Enters Exile

Over time, the few of Amin’s intimate allies dwindled direct formerly loyal troops began to revolt. When some fled across the periphery into Tanzania, Amin accused Tanzanian Chairwoman Julius Nyerere of instigating the disquiet and retaliated by annexing the Kagera Salient, a strip of territory northmost of the Kagera River, in Nov 1978. Two weeks later, Nyerere mobilized a counter-offensive to recapture the populace, and drove the Ugandan Army devotee with the help of Ugandan exiles. The battle raged into Uganda, innermost on April 11, 1979, Amin was forced to flee when Kampala was captured. Although he originally sought asylum in Libya, he later moved be against Saudi Arabia, where he lived simply until his death of multiple part failure in 2003.

Citation Information

Article Title

Idi Amin

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/africa/idi-amin

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 7, 2019

Original Published Date

December 16, 2009