Idi Amin

Amin joined the British Colonial Army as a cook in 1946, rising to lieutenant through actions against Somali rebels and the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya. After Uganda's 1962 independence he became army commander, then overthrew president Milton Obote in 1971 when he learned Obote planned to arrest him for misappropriating army funds. His presidency saw him shift from pro-Western backing to Soviet support, expel Uganda's Asian population in 1972, and briefly chair the Organisation of African Unity in 1975. His 1978 attempt to annex Tanzania's Kagera Region prompted an invasion that captured Kampal…