The history of the twentieth century knows many dictators, whose names even decades after their overthrow or death, compatriots pronounce with fear, hatred or contempt. The most terrible and "cannibalistic" (sometimes literally) dictatorships in recent history have existed in the countries of the "third world" - in Asian and African states.
In Uganda, from 1971 to 1979, Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada was in power. He was called "Black Hitler", however, the dictator of one of the poorest African countries did not hide his sympathy for the Fuhrer of the Third Reich. Eight years of the dictatorship of Idi Amin Dada entered the history of the African continent as one of the bloodiest pages. Despite the fact that authoritarian leaders were in power in many countries of the continent, Idi Amin's name became a household name.
It was he who launched a brutal terror against the groups of Ugandans he hated - first against the immigrants from India, whose impressive communities live in many East African countries, then against the Christian population of the country. In the West, Idi Amin was always portrayed as a caricatured character - after all, many of his actions were impossible to take seriously. What about the proposal to move the UN headquarters to Uganda or the demand to appoint him as the new head of the British Commonwealth instead of the Queen of England?
His rise to power is a natural consequence of the tribal struggle that flared up in Uganda in the first years of independence. There were forty tribes in the country, living in different areas, differently remote from the capital, and occupying different social niches. In fact, Uganda was fragmented into tribal unions, and the tribal leaders enjoyed genuine authority, which cannot be said about the official power. And the country's first prime minister, Milton Obote, decided to unite Uganda into an integral power and give it a more 'civilized' character. It would be better if he did not do this, many will say. Obote, one might say, upset the delicate balance of a vast tribal union. As the saying goes, good intentions lead to hell.
Like many African dictators, the exact date and place of birth of a man named Idi Amin Ume Dada is unknown. Therefore, it is generally accepted that he was born on May 17, 1928, most likely in Koboko or Kampala. Idi Amin's father Andre Nyabire (1889-1976) came from the Kakwa people and first professed Catholicism, but then converted to Islam. Mother, Assa Atte (1904-1970) belonged to the Lugbara people and worked as a nurse, although in reality she was a tribal healer and sorceress. When 39-year-old André Nyabire and 24-year-old Assa Aate had a baby - a hero, who already weighed five kilograms in the first week, none of the relatives knew that after more than four decades he would become the sole ruler of Uganda. The boy was named Idi Avo-Ongo Angu Amin. He grew up a strong and tall guy. In adulthood, Idi was 192 cm tall.and weighed over 110 kilograms. But if the nature of the young Ugandan was not deprived of physical data, then the guy's education was worse.
He until the late 1950s. remained illiterate, could not read and write. But he was distinguished by tremendous physical strength. It was physical data that played a major role in the further fate of Idi Amin.
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In 1946, Idi Amin was 18 years old. After changing a number of activities, such as a sweet cookie seller, the tough guy decided to enlist in the colonial forces and was accepted as an assistant cook in the rifle division. In 1947 he was recruited into the 21st Division of the Royal African Riflemen, which in 1949 redeployed to Somalia to fight local insurgents. When in the early 1950s. in neighboring Kenya, the famous Mau Mau uprising began, and parts of British troops from neighboring colonies were transferred there. Came to Kenya and Idi Amin. It was during his service in the army that the nickname "Dada" - "Sister" was assigned to him. In fact, the nickname in the Ugandan unit that was dissonant for a Russian soldier was almost commendable - Idi Amin often changed his mistresses, whom he brought to his tent. He introduced them to the commanders by his sisters. Therefore, colleagues called the loving soldier "Sister"
While serving in the colonial forces, Idi Amin was remembered by commanders and colleagues for his incredible courage and cruelty towards the rebels against whom the Royal African Riflemen fought. In addition, Idi Amin was not let down by his physical characteristics. Nine years - from 1951 to 1960 - he remained the Ugandan heavyweight boxing champion. Thanks to these qualities, the military career of a completely illiterate soldier was developing successfully. Already in 1948, a year after the start of service, Idi Amin was awarded the rank of corporal, in 1952 - a sergeant, and in 1953 - an effendi. For the African Royal Rifleman, reaching the rank of "effendi" - a warrant officer (an approximate analogue of a warrant officer) was the ultimate dream. Only Europeans were officers in the colonial troops, so we can safely saythat Idi Amin had already made the greatest possible career for an African in the British army by the age of 25. For eight years he served as an Effendi in the Royal African Rifle Battalion, and in 1961 he became one of two Ugandan NCOs to receive lieutenant insignia.
On October 9, 1962, Uganda gained independence from Great Britain. The president of the country was proclaimed the tavern (king) of the Buganda tribe, Edward Mutesa II, and the prime minister was a politician from the Lango tribe, Milton Obote. The proclamation of state sovereignty also meant the need to create the country's own armed forces. It was decided to build them on the basis of the units of the former Royal African Riflemen stationed in Uganda. The commanding staff of the Ugandan "shooters" joined the country's emerging military forces.
A bit of background. The Buganda tribe was considered elite in the country. The Bugandians are Christians, they adopted English culture from the former colonialists, lived in the capital region, and held various privileged positions in the capital. In addition, the Buganda is the largest tribe. The leader of the Bugandians, King Freddie, enjoyed the confidence of Obote, who made him the first president of the country. The Bugandians raised their heads even more. But at the same time, representatives of the other tribes grumbled, who felt oppression from the Bugandians. The small tribe of Langi, to which Obote belonged, considered itself deceived. To maintain a fair order, Obote began to curtail the powers of King Freddie, which led to new discontent, already from the Bugandians. In the end, they began to conduct widespread actions, demanding Obote's departure from power. He had no choice but to resort to force.
The choice fell on the second man in the Ugandan army, deputy commander-in-chief Idi Amin. Amin possessed all the qualities Obote needed: he was a representative of the Kakwa tribe, backward and living in the far outskirts of the country, as a result of which he was considered a stranger; did not speak English and professed Islam; was physically strong, furious and energetic, and the village dullness and assertiveness allowed him to disregard any conventions.
Amin, as usual, quickly fulfilled the prime minister's order: he fired at the president's residence. King Freddie was warned by someone about the upcoming attack and managed to escape the day before. He left for England, where he lived safely for the rest of his days and died peacefully.
This little favor brought Amin closer to Obote. Amin was promoted more and more and became a confidant of the Prime Minister. This rapid rise was unique to the Kakwa; the inhabitants of Kampala, belonging to this tribe, performed the lowest paid work here: kakwa were janitors, taxi drivers, telegraph operators, and laborers.
Gradually, Amin became the second person in the state, showing deep devotion to the fatherland and the head of government.
Idi Amin Dada was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Ugandan Armed Forces, and in 1968 he was promoted to Major General. Having gained almost unlimited control over the army, Idi Amin began to strengthen his influence in the military. First of all, he flooded the Ugandan army with his fellow tribesmen Kakwa and Lugbar, as well as the Nubians who had migrated from Sudan during the colonial era.
Converted to Islam at the age of 16, Idi Amin always preferred Muslims, who prevailed among the representatives of the listed peoples. Naturally, President Milton Obote saw Idi Amin's policies as a serious threat to his power. Therefore, in October 1970, Obote took over the functions of the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces, and Idi Amin again became deputy commander-in-chief. At the same time, the special services began to develop Idi Amin as a well-known corrupt official. The general could be arrested from day to day, so when at the end of January 1971 President Milton Obote was in Singapore at the summit of the British Commonwealth, Idi Amin staged a military coup on January 25, 1971. On February 2, Major General Idi Amin proclaimed himself the new president of Uganda and regained the powers of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Something that, and the cunning of an illiterate African shooter was not to be occupied. In order to win the favor of the world community, Idi Amin promised that he would soon transfer power to the civilian government, released political prisoners, that is, with all his might, he posed as a supporter of democracy. The new head of state tried to enlist the patronage of Great Britain and Israel. He arrived in Israel to receive financial assistance, but did not find support from the country's leadership. Offended by Israel, Idi Amin severed Uganda's diplomatic relations with that country and reoriented to Libya. Muammar Gaddafi, who himself recently came to power, has provided support to many anti-Western and anti-Israeli regimes and national movements. Idi Amin was no exception.
As an ally of Libya, he could count on help from the Soviet Union, which he soon took advantage of. The USSR provided military assistance to Uganda, which consisted primarily in the supply of weapons. Having quickly forgotten about democracy, Idi Amin turned into a real dictator. His title sounded like this: “His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Al-Haji Doctor Idi Amin, Master of all beasts on earth and fish in the sea, Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in general and in Uganda in particular, Knight of the Victoria Cross, Military cross "and the Order" For Military Merit ".
Having consolidated his power, Idi Amin embarked on a policy of brutal repression. The first to come under attack were representatives of the military elite who did not agree with Idi Amin's policies.
One of the bloodiest murders was the massacre of the commander-in-chief of the army, Suleiman Hussein. He was beaten with rifle butts in prison, and his head was cut off and sent to Amin, who locked her in the freezer of his huge refrigerator. Later, Hussein's head appeared during a lavish banquet to which Dada gathered many dignitaries. In the midst of the celebration, Amin carried his head into the hall in his hands and suddenly burst into curses and curses at her, began to throw knives at her. After this attack, he ordered the guests to leave.
However, from the very beginning, Amin killed not only officers. The bandit habits of the dictator and his associates allowed them to deal with anyone who had a lot of money or tried to get to the bottom of the bloody truth. Such curious were two Americans who worked as journalists for different Ugandan publications. They interviewed a colonel, a former taxi driver. When he thought they wanted to know too much, he contacted Amin and got a short answer: 'Kill them.' In an instant, two Americans were done away with, and the Volkswagen of one of them immediately became the property of the colonel.
By May 1971, that is, in the first five months of being in power, as a result of the repression, 10,000 Ugandans - senior officers, officials, politicians - had died. Most of the repressed belonged to the Acholi and Lango tribes, which were especially hated by Idi Amin.
The bodies of the dead were thrown into the Nile - to be eaten by crocodiles. On August 4, 1972, Idi Amin launched a campaign against the "petty-bourgeois Asians," as he called the many Indian immigrants who lived in Uganda and were active in business. All Indians, and there were 55,000 of them in the country, were ordered to leave Uganda within 90 days. By expropriating the business and property of immigrants from India, the Ugandan leader planned to improve his own well-being and "thank" for the support of his fellow tribesmen - officers and non-commissioned officers of the Ugandan army.
Ugandan Christians were the next target of repression by the Idi Amin regime. Although Muslims at that time in Uganda accounted for only 10% of the country's population, the Christian majority was discriminated against. Archbishop Yanani Luvum of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, in an effort to protect his flock, petitioned Idi Amin. In response, the President of Uganda, during a personal meeting with the archbishop at the Nile Hotel in February 1977, shot a high-ranking cleric with his own hand. Repression against the most educated layers of the population, corruption, theft of property have turned Uganda into one of the poorest countries in Africa. The only expense item for which Idi Amin did not spare money was the maintenance of the Ugandan army.
Idi Amin positively assessed the personality of Adolf Hitler and was even going to erect a monument to the Fuhrer of the Third Reich in Kampala. But in the end, the Ugandan dictator abandoned this idea - he was pressured by the Soviet leadership, which was afraid of discrediting the USSR by such actions of Idi Amin, who continued to receive Soviet military aid. After the overthrow of Idi Amin, it became clear that he not only brutally destroyed his political opponents, but also did not hesitate to eat them. That is, along with the Central African dictator Bokassa, Idi Amin went down in modern history as a cannibal ruler.
Idi Amin fed the corpses of his enemies to crocodiles. He himself also tasted human meat. “It's very salty, even saltier than leopard meat,” he said. "In a war, when there is nothing to eat and one of your comrades is wounded, you can kill and eat him to survive."
Go Amin and Muammar Gaddafi.
Idi Amin continued to work closely with the Palestine Liberation Organization, whose office he located in the premises of the former Israeli embassy in Kampala. On June 27, 1976, an airplane of the French airline "Air France" was hijacked in Athens. The militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the German left-wing radical organization "Revolutionary Cells" who had captured it, took passengers hostage, among whom were many Israeli citizens. Idi Amin gave permission to land the hijacked plane at Entebbe airport in Uganda. The PFLP militants set a condition - to release 53 Palestinian fighters from the prisons of Israel, Kenya and the Federal Republic of Germany. Otherwise, they threatened to shoot all the passengers on the plane. The ultimatum expired on July 4, 1976, but on July 3, 1976 a brilliant operation by Israeli special forces was carried out at Entebbe airport. All the hostages were released.
Seven militants who hijacked the plane and twenty Ugandan army soldiers who tried to interfere with the operation were killed. At the same time, all Ugandan Air Force warplanes were blown up at Entebbe airport. Israeli special forces lost only two soldiers, among whom was the commander of the operation, Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, the elder brother of the future Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Israeli commandos forgot to release 73-year-old Dora Bloch, who was taken to a hospital in Kampala due to deteriorating health. Idi Amin, furious after the impressive "raid in Entebbe," ordered her to be shot (according to another version, he personally strangled an elderly Israeli woman).
But the biggest mistake Idi Amin Dada made was the start of a war with neighboring Tanzania, a much larger country in terms of area and population. In addition, Tanzania belonged to the friendly African countries of the Soviet Union, and its leader Julius Nyerere adhered to the concept of African socialism. After the outbreak of the war with Tanzania, Uganda lost support from the countries of the socialist camp, and relations with Western countries were ruined even earlier. Go Amin could only rely on the help of the Arab countries, first of all - Libya. However, the Ugandan army invaded Kagera province in northern Tanzania. This was a fatal mistake. Tanzanian troops, aided by the armed formations of the Ugandan opposition, drove Idi Amin's army out of the country and invaded Uganda itself.
On April 11, 1979, Idi Amin Yes yes hastily left Kampala. He left for Libya, and in December 1979 he moved to Saudi Arabia.
The former dictator settled in Jeddah, where he lived happily for almost a quarter of a century. On August 16, 2003, at the age of 75, Idi Amin passed away and was buried in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The life of the bloody dictator, nicknamed "Black Hitler", ended very happily: Idi Amin died in his bed, having lived to old age, in contrast to the numerous victims of his regime.
Idi Amin is considered one of the most curious, odious and shocking personalities of the 20th century. He is involved in many unprecedented tragicomic incidents, which later made him the hero of many stories and anecdotes. In the West and in parts of Eastern Europe, he was considered an eccentric and comic person and was constantly ridiculed in cartoons.
Amin was extremely predisposed to a variety of awards, so he lengthened his robe to accommodate most of the British medals and other World War II awards bought from collectors. The dictator became the object of ridicule of foreign journalists also because he appropriated many magnificent titles that did not correspond to the real power of Amin, for example, "Conqueror of the British Empire" and "King of Scotland".
In addition to claims to become the head of the British Commonwealth of Nations instead of the Queen of Great Britain, in 1974 Amin proposed to move the UN headquarters to Uganda, motivating this decision by the fact that his country is "the geographic heart of the planet."
One of the most absurd decisions of Amin is considered to be his ephemeral declaration of a one-day war on the United States of America. The dictator of Uganda declared war only to declare himself victorious the next day.
Having become a full-fledged dictator of his country, Amin continued to play sports, in particular motorsport (evidence of this was the acquisition of several racing cars), and also was fond of Walt Disney animated films.
It is known that the Ugandan dictator considered Adolf Hitler his teacher and idol and was even going to erect a monument to the Fuhrer, but was stopped by the Soviet Union, with which Amin had established close ties.
Also, after the end of his reign, information was confirmed, including from himself, that Amin was a cannibal and ate killed opponents and other subjects, keeping parts of their bodies in a large refrigerator of the residence next to unsuspecting foreign delegations received at audiences.
However, this is the opinion I met on one of the sites on the network: “Standard infa ala 'wiki', which was often done not entirely by military special correspondents, or in other words - a body came for 3 days, sat in a hotel, took a couple of photos from the balcony and brought down back to civilization to sell an article.
Plus, the British, who fell out of favor with IdiAmin, in every possible way warmed up any topic that would throw him off, including sheer nonsense.
I spent a happy childhood there, I was more than once in the palace and at the hacienda. Idi Amin is a normal guy.
