10 Most Brutal African Dictators
1. Idi Amin - Uganda
Whereas many of the names on this list are surprisingly obscure in the Western world, Idi Amin needs no introduction. One of the most reviled figures of the 20th century, the 'Butcher of Uganda's gruesome atrocities eclipse those of most dictators throughout history.
A formidable man of six foot four and twenty stone, the former heavyweight boxer attained the highest rank open to a black African in the British Colonial Army before putting his military experience to good use by overthrowing the corrupt Milton Obote in his native Uganda. Though a move more with his own personal safety in mind - Obote had been plotting to purge the army leader in order to prop up his own power - the coup was nevertheless popular throughout the country. Amin presented himself as the new broom Uganda needed, a paternal figure that could lead the nation out of the darkness.
Instead, Amin's enormous presence plunged Uganda under an even greater shadow. Quite aside from bringing about the free elections he promised, Amin's first and only priority was to consolidate his own power. This began by purging the country of all Obote's supporters, mainly from the Langi and Acholi tribes. Without any clear way of identifying his opponents, Amin's 'killer squads' just massacred those whose names began with an 'O' - a common feature of the Acholi and Langi dialects.
Amin's forces were inventive in their slaughter. Entire squadrons of Acholi and Langi soldiers were compelled to parade and immediately ran down by tanks. Other times, a hand grenade was simply thrown into a room packed with prisoners. In order to save bullets, the preferred method of execution was to force captives to combat one another with sledgehammers, the loser's weapon passed on to another detainee until only one was left standing. Soon people from all strata of society were victims of the president's brutality. The loss of life was astronomical: power-cuts hit Kampala when the hydro-electric dam on Lake Victoria became bunged up with human remains.
The tales of Amin's eccentric, erratic, and savage nature read like something out of a work of fiction. He insisted on being referred to by his full formal title: 'His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular' - yet he was just as equally known as 'the Last King of Scotland'. Maniacally paranoid, Amin stored the severed heads of personal rivals within his Botanical Room, including that of his eventual fifth wife's former fiancé. The remains of his second wife were dismembered after a failed, clandestine abortion attempt, and the limbs reattached back-to-front to caution future infidelity. Rumours persisted about Amin's predilection for eating human flesh - though unsubstantiated, they are difficult to dismiss.
Variously described as schizophrenic or plainly insane, Amin's political savvy betrayed this volatile, often unstable personality. The 'Conqueror of the British Empire' professed to take counsel from a higher power, and in 1972 followed supposed instructions from God to expel Uganda of its entire Asian population. The move crippled an economy that was largely supported by the commerce of the minority, but it was a popular and shrewd political move. Amin survived another seven years in power, until his decision to finally invade neighbouring Tanzania proved his downfall. Though Amin claimed victory after three thousand Ugandan troops marched across the border, raping and pillaging as they went, a year later Kampala fell to retaliatory forces from Dar es Salaam.
Amin was exiled first to Libya, until even Colonel Gaddafi could not tolerate him any longer, and later to Saudi Arabia. Seeing out his remaining days in relative comfort, Amin fell into a coma in 2003 and never recovered. Nor did he ever pay for the monstrous brutality he exacted on his population. In total, it is estimated as many as 300,000 people succumbed during his regime, making Amin not just one of the most fearsome dictators in African history, but of all time.