Idi Amin

CountryCountryFollowing a military takeover in 1971, Idi Amin ruled as dictator in Uganda. He goes by the moniker "Butcher of Uganda." He is one of the most brutal dictators in modern history.

Throughout the 1970s, Amin's behavior increasingly deteriorated. He drove out the Asians and gave their enterprises to his friends, which caused the economy to collapse. Among Idi Amin's policies are:

• Asians are being driven out.
• The federation of commerce and industry.
• The public sector's expansion.

The economy of Uganda was decimated by all these policies. The real value of salaries and earnings decreased by 90% in less than ten years.

However, in comparison to his harsh persecution of competing Ugandan tribes, who were massacred in large numbers, the Asians were "fortunate." Out of a population of 10 million, his tyranny claimed a total of 500,000 lives. He caused panic by feeding crocodiles the bodies of his victims. Although he claimed that human flesh was often "too salty" for his preference, he boasted that he stored the severed heads of political opponents in his freezer. His maniacal behavior had no bounds. His titles were "Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa" and "Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas."

He went to Saudi Arabia after being overthrown in 1979. Idi Amin never apologized for his cruel actions. He, too, was the subject of a Hollywood movie, Last King of Scotland.

Born: mid-1925s

Died: August 16, 2003

Country: Uganda