Idi Amin
c. 1925 – 16 August 2003
Idi Amin was a Ugandan military officer who ruled Uganda as president from 1971 to 1979 after seizing power in a coup. His government expelled Uganda's Asian population in 1972 and was responsible for widespread killings and human rights abuses. He was removed from power in 1979 following the Uganda-Tanzania War and lived in exile in Saudi Arabia until his death in 2003.
Lived at the same time
Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Idi Amin.
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- Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) Overlapped 78 years →
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018) Overlapped 78 years →
- Augusto Pinochet (1915–2006) Overlapped 78 years →
- Charles Aznavour (1924–2018) Overlapped 78 years →
- Chen-Ning Yang (1922–2025) Overlapped 78 years →
Life events
Sources place his birth around 1925, with Koboko and Kampala both cited as birthplaces.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHe enlisted in the British colonial regiment as an assistant cook and later served as a soldier.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHe was national champion in the sport through the 1950s.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgPrime Minister Milton Obote promoted him to lead the armed forces in the mid-1960s.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHe deposed President Milton Obote while Obote was abroad and declared himself head of state.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAbout 50,000 people of South Asian descent were given 90 days to leave the country.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgA hijacked Air France airliner was flown to Entebbe Airport, where Israeli forces carried out a rescue operation in July 1976.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgUgandan forces invaded the Kagera salient, and Tanzania counter-attacked with Ugandan exile forces.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHe left for Libya as Tanzanian and Ugandan rebel forces took the capital, later settling in Saudi Arabia.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHe died on 16 August 2003 after a period of organ failure and was buried in Jeddah.
Source: en.wikipedia.org