As one of the most horrific leaders in modern African history, Idi Amin not only lied and cheated his way to the top, but murdered and tortured people to gain power. He gained power by completely disregarding human rights and violating international human rights laws.
Idi Amin is believed to have been born in 1925 near Koboko, in the West Nile Province, which is now the Republic of Uganda. He was brought up by his mother, an herbalist and diviner, because his father deserted them when he was little. He was part of the Kakwa tribe, a tiny Muslim tribe in northwestern Uganda (Idi Amin Dada).
Idi Amin received little formal education, attending school only through the fourth grade. Although he had little education, he joined the King's African Rifles, KAR, in 1943 (Amin, Idi). The KAR were the British African colonial troops. Idi Amin served with the KAR in Burma, Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda.
A 1977 caricature of Amin in military and presiden...
Idi Amin
General Idi Amin Dada: A Self PortraitHe rose through the ranks quickly and soon reached the rank of effendi, the highest rank a black African could receive in the British army. Although he was successful in the army, he had a reputation for being extremely cruel and brutal during interrogations. His brutality became very useful during his reign as heavyweight boxing champion of Uganda from 1951- 1960 (Idi Amin Dada).
Shortly after Idi Amin's last boxing championship, in March 1961, the British, still in control of Uganda, allowed an election to take place as a precursor to independence. The people elected would gain political knowledge before they were put out to rule the country on their own. The Kabaka Yekka, one of the three political parties in Uganda, boycotted the election, but soon realized that it was mistake. They came together with the Ugandan People's Congress to oppose the...