The Shocking Reign of “Africa’s Butcher”
Looking at this scene, you might think this man is overly dramatic, that it’s just a piece of meat. But what if he were eating human flesh? Would you feel a cold shiver run down your spine?
He was “the most inhumane tyrant” on the African continent, one of the most infamous rulers in modern history. In seven years of dictatorship, he murdered nearly 300,000 of his own citizens and even abused his own wives in fits of rage. He had a twisted obsession with torturing people to death and was even seen eating human flesh in public. He threw the uneaten parts into the Nile River, feeding them to the crocodiles. Eventually, there were so many victims that the crocodiles couldn’t eat anymore, causing the nearby hydroelectric power station to become blocked by thousands of corpses.
He was also unruly on the international stage. He once suggested that the United Nations move its headquarters to his country. He even flirted with the Queen of England, saying he wanted to show her what a real man was. He also asked her to send him her old underwear. 
What allowed him to do so many outrageous things? And what was his ultimate fate?
Today, we’ll learn about “Africa’s Butcher”, the former President of Uganda: Idi Amin.
From Poverty to Power
Amin’s childhood was tragic. He was born in a small village in northern Uganda. His family was poor, and his father abandoned them. This left Amin without a father figure and with only four years of elementary school education; he was almost illiterate.
Fortunately, Amin had a strong body. He grew to be six-foot-four, weighed over 220 pounds, and was as strong as an ox. Although many looked down on him, they were afraid to say so; who would dare provoke the African version of Shaquille O’Neal?
In 1940, Amin seized an opportunity that would change his life. He joined the army.
With his excellent physique and fearless spirit, Amin won many battles after joining the army. In a few years, he was promoted to sergeant. But his greatest fortune was being recognized by one man: Milton Obote.
Obote was the Prime Minister of Uganda. While second to none, he was a very ambitious man. He needed to expand his influence to climb to the pinnacle of power, and Amin was a valuable pawn.
With Amin’s help, Obote smuggled large amounts of ivory, gold, and other treasures, making a fortune. Later, they worked together to stage a successful coup. Obote became the first president of Uganda, and Amin was promoted to commander of the armed forces.
At that time, Obote thought he was brilliant. He gained Amin’s full support with a little favor. What could be a better deal?
But he underestimated Amin. If Obote’s ambition was like a rushing river, then Amin’s was like a boundless ocean.
Seizing the Presidency
One day in 1971, Amin suddenly summoned all his trusted officers and launched a coup. In just ten days, he disbanded Obote’s government and proudly became the third President of Uganda.
Although Amin’s rise to power was not honorable, he was quite popular at first. He constantly proclaimed himself a nationalist and released 55 political prisoners. He was also very good to the people. He chose women from different tribes as his wives and even held a state funeral for the former king. His broad mind and love for his people won him great support. All the people of Uganda felt that good days were coming.
But reality delivered a resounding slap in the face. Amin not only failed to make his people rich but pushed them into the abyss. Amin began his seven-year reign of terror.
A Brutal Regime
To consolidate his power, Amin’s first act after taking office was to eliminate Obote’s supporters. Anyone in politics who had contact with Obote, even people with the same surname, would be sentenced to death. A total of 15,000 people and soldiers were brutally murdered.
Then, Amin ordered the expulsion of anyone who threatened him.
One day, Amin woke up and suddenly claimed that God had told him in a dream that all Asians in the country must be expelled. At that time, most of the Asians in Uganda were Indians in Uganda. These Indians were good at doing business and dominated many industries in the country. Amin ordered them to leave immediately, taking only $100 with them. All other possessions would be confiscated. If anyone disobeyed, Amin would send soldiers to loot the Asian residential areas.
As a result, 70,000 Asians were forced to flee. The Indian government heard about this and broke off diplomatic relations with Uganda.
In addition to the wealthy, Amin also drove away the educated.
As we mentioned earlier, he was not well-educated. He envied those who could eloquently spout a bunch of great principles. But he feared that these intellectuals would incite the people to overthrow his regime. So, he expelled all scholars, teachers, and writers in the country, so that no one would dare to laugh at his lack of education.
After eliminating all dissidents, Amin felt comfortable treating the country as his playground, engaging in a series of absurd behaviors.
Madness and Mayhem
Amin liked to sing. To let the whole country hear his moving voice, he turned the national radio station into his private FM station. Amin also required people to wear only sandals. If anyone disobeyed, they would be forced to eat the wrong shoes. If anyone flattered Amin, whether they were chefs, electricians, or security guards, they could be promoted to minister or general. If anyone dared to disobey Amin’s orders, even a meritorious general, they would be expelled from the country or even killed.
Most notably, Amin’s idea of mortal danger was very different from ours. He had an almost perverted desire to torture people to death slowly.
According to former Ugandan officials, any criminal or political enemy of Amin would suffer a fate worse than death if sent to prison. They would be whipped for hours every day until they died. Most cruelly, their bodies would be fed to the crocodiles. If the crocodiles were full, they would be thrown into the river. In the end, there were so many corpses that the nearby hydroelectric power station was blocked and could not operate properly.
You might think that Amin only treated his enemies this way, but he was ruthless even to his own wives.
A Tyrant at Home
Amin was notoriously promiscuous. As long as he took a fancy to a woman, he would force her into the presidential palace for his pleasure, regardless of her family background. Amin married 13 wives, not to mention those who were not publicly known, which added up to at least three digits.
How to manage so many women? Amin’s method was “kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.”
Some of his wives complained about Amin’s extravagance and licentiousness. Amin learned of this and had them tortured to death. He placed their bodies on the dining table to warn the other family members: this is the consequence of disobedience.
Of course, some always had wishful thinking. One wife had an affair with a subordinate. Amin was furious when he found out. He had the couple dismembered.
He even put their meat in his mouth in front of the people of the whole country. Afterwards, the media interviewed Amin. Amin replied:
“Human meat is too salty and not tasty at all.”
After this incident, the people of Uganda trembled and broke out in cold sweat. They dared not say a word, because they feared death, and even more, they feared being eaten by this “cannibal president.”
Delusions of Grandeur
In Amin’s mind, he was not only the god of Uganda but also the king of the world. Therefore, in addition to being lawless in his own country, he also made many outrageous remarks internationally.
He once declared that the world should be centered on Uganda, that Western developed countries should form more alliances with Uganda, and he demanded that the United Nations move its headquarters to the Ugandan capital. It is unknown where he got the nerve.
But his most rampant behavior was flirting with the Queen of England. Amin was very fond of Elizabeth II. He sent a telegram to the Queen saying: “Dear Queen, if you want to know what a real man is, come to Uganda and find me.”
The Queen, of course, ignored him. But Amin not only did not stop but made an even more shameless request.
He even asked the Queen to send him her old underwear. He said that he would sleep with it under his pillow every day so that the friendship between the two countries could last forever.
It is unknown what the British Queen thought, but the British people were completely angry and cursed Amin on social media for weeks.
The Downfall
In 1978, Amin launched a war against Tanzania. He thought it would be a one-sided crush. He didn’t expect that the Ugandan soldiers had long been emaciated and demoralized due to his exploitation. They were quickly defeated and suffered heavy casualties.
Worse, the Tanzanian army launched a counterattack. Not only did the Ugandan people not resist, but they formed a people’s army, wanting to capture Amin alive. Although they did not get their wish in the end, Amin’s government was overthrown. He himself fled to Libya with four wives, several mistresses, and more than twenty children.
The Libyan president originally took him in out of kindness, but Amin’s rampant temper did not change. He had a conflict with the local police and was forced to leave. He finally settled in Saudi Arabia. On July 18, 2003, Amin died of multiple organ failure at the age of 77. A generation of heroes came to an end.
There is no denying that Amin’s childhood was miserable, and his subsequent brutal rule was inextricably linked to it, but this was not an excuse for his indiscriminate killing and harming the country and the people. Whether from a human or moral point of view, Amin was not a respectable person. Therefore, he was also scolded as “Africa’s most absurd president.” We have no right to judge his merits and demerits; we believe the Ugandan people will make their own judgments.
