Idi Amin was president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. But he was also one of the most unsettling figures of the 20th century: a dictator capable of ordering massacres in the morning and challenging his enemies to boxing matches in the afternoon. Decades after his death, his name remains imbued with a mixture of horror and fascination that no other African leader of his era managed to generate. And at the heart of his dark legend lies an accusation that was never proven: cannibalism.
Born around 1925 in Koboko, in northwestern Uganda, Idi Amin grew up in a poor family and received little education. His life changed in 1946 when he enlisted in the British colonial army, the first step in a career that would eventually lead him to power.
His military career progressed rapidly. After participating in the suppression of the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya, he became one of the few Ugandans to reach the rank of officer before independence. His imposing stature and past as a heavyweight boxer reinforced a presence that was hard to ignore.
Following Uganda’s independence, Amin continued to rise through the ranks under Milton Obote’s government, who placed him in command of the army. However, the relationship between the two deteriorated, and on January 25, 1971, Amin took advantage of Obote’s trip abroad to seize power in a coup.
At first, Amin was received with optimism by the population. But the illusion quickly faded: purges, forced disappearances, and executions of alleged supporters of Milton Obote began shortly after he came to power. No one knows exactly how many people died under Amin’s regime. The Encyclopedia Britannica cites around 300,000 victims, while other estimates exceed 500,000. The discrepancy illustrates the chaos and brutality of a dictatorship that left thousands missing.
Many of the victims were thrown into the Nile to conceal the regime’s crimes. Various testimonies from the time recount that bodies appeared so frequently in the river that they sometimes caused problems with the turbines at the Jinja hydroelectric power plant.
In 1972, Amin ordered the expulsion of tens of thousands of Ugandan Asians, whom he accused of controlling the economy to the detriment of the country. He even claimed that he had made the decision after receiving divine inspiration and gave them a mere 90 days to leave Uganda.
The final days for thousands of families in Uganda were marked by fear and uncertainty. As they left the country, many reported theft and abuse at military checkpoints. The departure of a community crucial to trade and business dealt a severe blow to the Ugandan economy.
The expulsion ultimately came at a high cost to the country. Many businesses and companies were handed over to regime allies, but inexperience and mismanagement accelerated Uganda’s economic decline in the following years.
Around 28,000 people with British passports arrived in the UK after the expulsion. But the reception wasn’t as warm as it is often remembered. According to CNN, the British government initially tried to resettle them in other countries, while the immigration debate generated significant political and social tensions.
Despite initial reluctance, those deported eventually rebuilt their lives in the United Kingdom. Over the years, Ugandan Asians became one of the most prosperous and integrated immigrant groups in the country. However, as journalist Lucy Fulford points out on CNN, this success story often overlooks an uncomfortable detail: before welcoming them, the British government tried to find other destinations for them.
Meanwhile, Amin ruled by combining repression and extravagance. He publicly admired Hitler, severed relations with Israel, and supported the hijackers of the Air France flight diverted to Entebbe in 1976. At the same time, he issued boxing challenges to his critics, sent provocative telegrams to foreign leaders, and accumulated grandiose titles, including “King of Scotland.”
The beginning of the end came in 1978. Amin ordered the invasion of Tanzania’s Kagera Salient region, a decision that ultimately backfired. Tanzania responded with a counteroffensive supported by Ugandan exiles and advanced rapidly toward Kampala. On April 11, 1979, faced with the imminent fall of the capital, Amin fled the country.
After his fall, Amin sought refuge first in Libya and then in Saudi Arabia, where he lived in exile for more than two decades. Uganda made it clear that if he returned, he would have to answer for the crimes of his regime. He died in Jeddah on August 16, 2003, far from the country he had ruled with an iron fist.
The legend, however, did not die with him. The character of Amin has been recreated in books and films, with Forest Whitaker winning an Oscar in 2006 for his performance in The Last King of Scotland.
