Idi Amin: Murderous Tyrant
The life, times and death of one of the world's most hated dictators.
Beginning as a British protectorate in 1894, Uganda achieved independence in 1962. Idi Amin, a native born son, arose as a leader amid a maelstrom of rising tensions stirred between the country's many ethnic groups. In 1971, he seized power in a military coup from the nation's Prime Minister, Milton Obote. Declaring himself Uganda's new president, he insured he would remain thus, abolishing elections during his reign of terror. He said of himself after taking over the government:
"I am not an ambitious man personally. I am just a soldier with a concern for my country and its people." (And this author, in between careers, is Queen Marie of Rumania!)
The life of this murderous ruler is marked with a thirst for blood, power and glory. The one time boxing champion of Uganda came from humble parentage and had little formal education, although he excelled both in sports and in military service. His nickname "Dada" originates from the Ugandan word for "sister," which is the word he used to describe every woman he ever spent time with. "The Butcher of Africa" is a much more fitting moniker, for that is what he was. His political tenure witnessed terrible violence and reports of the torture and murder of 300,000 to 500,000 Ugandans, whose only crime was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Amin never wrote his own autobiography nor did he ever authorize one to be written. His story, however, needs to be told, if for no other reason than as testimony to the barbaric inhumanity of man towards man that rears its ugly head in almost every period and place in world history.
Read the life story of Idi Amin.
