Editing Idi Amin Dada (section)

===President of Uganda===
Eventually, a rift developed between Amin and President [[Milton Obote]], exacerbated by the support Amin had built within the army by recruiting from the West Nile region, his involvement in operations to support the rebellion in southern Sudan and an attempt on Obote's life in 1969. In October 1970, Obote took control of the armed forces, reducing Amin from his months-old post of commander of all the armed forces to that of the commander of the army.

Having learned that Obote was planning to arrest him for misappropriating army funds, Amin seized power in a military coup on 25 January 1971, while Obote was attending a Commonwealth summit meeting in Singapore.<ref>[https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/looking-back-1971-uganda-coup Looking Back at the 1971 Uganda Coup], The Wilson Center</ref> Troops loyal to Amin sealed off Entebbe International Airport and took Kampala. Soldiers surrounded Obote's residence and blocked major roads. A broadcast on Radio Uganda accused Obote's government of corruption and preferential treatment of the Lango region. Cheering crowds were reported in the streets of Kampala after the radio broadcast. Amin formally declared himself President of Uganda a week later, suspending certain provisions of the Ugandan constitution, and soon instituted an Advisory Defence Council composed of military officers with himself as the chairman. Amin placed military tribunals above the system of civil law, appointed soldiers to top government posts and parastatal agencies, and informed the newly inducted civilian cabinet ministers that they would be subject to military discipline.
[[File:JFKWHP-AR6843-A (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|Benedicto Kiwanuka, he did not fear his fatal fate]]
One day, enraged, Amin personally telephoned [https://real-life-heroes.fandom.com/wiki/Benedicto_Kiwanuka Benedicto Kiwanuka] about his position in the country's affairs. But the lawyer did not flinch.

He did not want to follow Amin's tyranny and ignore the law. They even insisted that if he did not follow, they would kill him. But he was a committed man. He knew what was right. And knowing that he would not have been killed if he supported Amin, he knew that he could not do so because of his democratic principles.

During his years in power, Amin shifted in allegiance from being a pro-Western ruler enjoying considerable Israeli support to being backed by Libya's [[Muammar Gaddafi]], Zaire's [[Mobutu Sese Seko]], the Soviet Union, and East Germany. He became increasingly [[Anti-Semitism|anti-semetic]] as his rule continued, expelling all Israeli military advisors from Uganda in 1972. He also sent a telegram to Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir praising [[Adolf Hitler]] and essentially saying that [[the Holocaust]] deserved to happen because Jews were untrustworthy.<ref>[https://www.jta.org/archive/idi-amin-and-israel-first-love-then-hate Idi Amin and Israel: First Love, then Hate], ''Jewish Telegraphic Agency''</ref>

In 1975 – 1976, Amin became the Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), a pan-Africanist organization designed to promote solidarity among the African states that served as the predecessor to the modern-day African Union (AU).<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/29/archives/amin-new-head-of-african-organization.html Amin New Head of African Organization], ''The New York Times''</ref> During the 1977 – 1979 period, Uganda was a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. In 1977, when Britain broke diplomatic relations with Uganda, Amin declared he had defeated the British and added "CBE", for "Conqueror of the British Empire", to his title. Radio Uganda then announced his entire title: "His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Alhaji Dr. Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE".<ref name = Butcher></ref>

During his term as the ruler of Uganda, he helped destroy the nation's economy and reduce its population.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/05/29/idi-amin-squandered-the-wealth-of-uganda/7511e07b-8be8-45f3-895c-5a7f4e5ebc39/ Idi Amin Squandered the Wealth of Uganda], ''The Washington Post''</ref> According to the estimates of exile organizations and Amnesty International, approximately 500,000 people were murdered under Amin. He ordered the expulsion of Uganda's Asian population (which he claimed that he was ordered to do in a vision from God), numbering about 60,000, which resulted in the collapse of the economy as Uganda's Asian community made up a large share of its professional and middle classes.<ref>[https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/when-idi-amin-expelled-50000-asians-from-uganda When Idi Amin expelled 50,000 ‘Asians’ from Uganda], Adam Smith Institute</ref> Amin's inept rule resulted in an influx of refugees into Britain, which led to increased racial tensions during the 1970s and rising support for the National Front.
[[File:Amin's Heads.jpg|left|thumb]]
His main policy for the country (outside of personal aggrandizement) was an attempt to convert the population to Islam. This attempt failed because of his methods, which included assassinating an archbishop, not normally considered a wise move in a Christian country.<ref>[https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1317498/idi-amin-islam-muslims-uganda.html.retrieved,June,2018 Idi Amin, Islam and Muslims in Uganda], ''New Vision''</ref> He also practiced polygamy and fathered an estimated 45 to 54 children, and there were persistent rumors he also engaged in [[cannibalism]], although nothing concrete was ever proven two human heads were found in his freezer.<ref name = facts></ref>