Idi Amin got his start in the British colonial army under the King’s African Rifles (KAR). There he quickly rose through the ranks. He was deployed to Somalia to fight the Shifta rebels and later fought with the British during the suppression of the Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya. During his time in the army, Amin became the light heavyweight boxing champion of Uganda, a title he held for nine years. After more than 70 years under British rule, Uganda gained its independence on October 9, 1962, and Milton Obote became the nation’s first prime minister. Obote ordered Amin’s arrest while en route to Singapore for a Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference. During his absence, Amin took the offensive and staged a coup on January 25, 1971, seizing control of the government and forcing Obote into exile. From there Amin began mass executions upon the Acholi and Lango, a group he perceived as a threat for their loyalty to Obote. Then h expelled Uganda’s Asian population, which numbered between 50,000 and 70,000, resulting in a collapse of the economy as manufacturing, agriculture and commerce. Throughout his rule, Amin was estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of roughly 300,000 civilians. Amin was forced to flee over time, after the number of Amin’s intimate allies dwindled and former loyal troops began to turn on him. He originally sought refuge in Libya, then later moved to Saudi Arabia, where he lived comfortably until his death of multiple organ failure in 2003.
enemies too.