Idi Amin Dada: Difference between revisions

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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. 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]]

[[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.

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In January 1979, Nyerere mobilised the Tanzania People's Defence Force and counterattacked, joined by several groups of Ugandan exiles who had united as the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). Amin's army retreated steadily, and, despite military help from Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, Amin was forced to flee into exile by helicopter on 11 April 1979, when Kampala was captured. He escaped first to Libya, where he stayed until 1980, and ultimately settled in Saudi Arabia, where the [[House of Saud|Saudi royal family]] allowed him sanctuary and paid him a generous subsidy in return for staying out of politics.

In the following years it had become an outcast in Africa since no African country wanted to give it political asylum except for Gaddafi who gave him temporary asylum for a year.

In the following years he had become an outcast in Africa since no African country wanted to give it political asylum except for Gaddafi who gave him temporary asylum for a year.

He was arrested in 1989 in ~~zaire~~ while trying to carry out another coup, ~~saudi arabia~~ said he would not be allowed to return but the acting king insisted too much

He was arrested in 1989 in Zaire while trying to carry out another coup, Saudi Arabia said he would not be allowed to return but the acting king insisted too much

He remained in Saudi Arabia for the rest of his life until he died from kidney failure in July 2003 without fulfilling his desire to set foot on Ugandans again.

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*Amin's tyrannical rule was dramatized in the 2006 film ''[[wikipedia:The Last King of Scotland (film)|The Last King of Scotland]]'', where he is portrayed by [[wikipedia:Forest Whitaker|Forest Whitaker]]. Whitaker would win an Academy Award for his portrayal of Amin.

*After Amin's death, David Owen revealed that when he was the British Foreign Secretary, he had proposed having Amin assassinated. He has defended this, arguing: "I'm not ashamed of considering it, because his regime goes down in the scale of [[Pol Pot]] as one of the worst of all African regimes".

*Because Amin never attended school past fourth grade, he was severely illiterate for ~~most~~ of his life. A Colonial Army officer once described him as "virtually bone from the neck up, and needs things explained in words of one letter."

*Because Amin never attended school past fourth grade, he was severely illiterate for much of his life and considered unintelligent by others. A Colonial Army officer once described him as "virtually bone from the neck up, and needs things explained in words of one letter."

*Amin was close friends with Palestine Liberation Organization leader [[Yasser Arafat]]; Arafat served as Amin's best man during his third wedding.

*During his time in the King's African Rifles, Amin was also a champion boxer and reigned as Uganda's light heavyweight boxing champion from 1951 to 1960. He was also reportedly an expert swimmer and an excellent rugby player.

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 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. 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]]
+[[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.
@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 In January 1979, Nyerere mobilised the Tanzania People's Defence Force and counterattacked, joined by several groups of Ugandan exiles who had united as the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). Amin's army retreated steadily, and, despite military help from Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, Amin was forced to flee into exile by helicopter on 11 April 1979, when Kampala was captured. He escaped first to Libya, where he stayed until 1980, and ultimately settled in Saudi Arabia, where the [[House of Saud|Saudi royal family]] allowed him sanctuary and paid him a generous subsidy in return for staying out of politics.
-In the following years it had become an outcast in Africa since no African country wanted to give it political asylum except for Gaddafi who gave him temporary asylum for a year.
+In the following years he had become an outcast in Africa since no African country wanted to give it political asylum except for Gaddafi who gave him temporary asylum for a year.
-He was arrested in 1989 in zaire while trying to carry out another coup, saudi arabia said he would not be allowed to return but the acting king insisted too much
+He was arrested in 1989 in Zaire while trying to carry out another coup, Saudi Arabia said he would not be allowed to return but the acting king insisted too much
 He remained in Saudi Arabia for the rest of his life until he died from kidney failure in July 2003 without fulfilling his desire to set foot on Ugandans again.
@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 *Amin's tyrannical rule was dramatized in the 2006 film ''[[wikipedia:The Last King of Scotland (film)|The Last King of Scotland]]'', where he is portrayed by [[wikipedia:Forest Whitaker|Forest Whitaker]]. Whitaker would win an Academy Award for his portrayal of Amin.
 *After Amin's death, David Owen revealed that when he was the British Foreign Secretary, he had proposed having Amin assassinated. He has defended this, arguing: "I'm not ashamed of considering it, because his regime goes down in the scale of [[Pol Pot]] as one of the worst of all African regimes".
-*Because Amin never attended school past fourth grade, he was severely illiterate for most of his life. A Colonial Army officer once described him as "virtually bone from the neck up, and needs things explained in words of one letter."
+*Because Amin never attended school past fourth grade, he was severely illiterate for much of his life and considered unintelligent by others. A Colonial Army officer once described him as "virtually bone from the neck up, and needs things explained in words of one letter."
 *Amin was close friends with Palestine Liberation Organization leader [[Yasser Arafat]]; Arafat served as Amin's best man during his third wedding.
 *During his time in the King's African Rifles, Amin was also a champion boxer and reigned as Uganda's light heavyweight boxing champion from 1951 to 1960. He was also reportedly an expert swimmer and an excellent rugby player.