The Idi Amin Despotism, More Madness Than Leadership

What are the chances that one man could be responsible for the death of anything between 100,000 to half a million people in a country of 12 million? Close to zero? Not if you are Idi Amin. The man was a walking bad of terror, horror and pure, unadulterated evil. He candidly articulated his philosophy: "In any country there must be people who have to die. They are the sacrifices any nation has to make to achieve law and order." Not surprising for a man who believed Adolf Hitler to be "a great man and a real conqueror whose name would never be forgotten".

 First of all, it is difficult to be a normal human being with a functioning conscience when you make people call you "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". This was his title, an inflated mess betraying his inflated ego and mental instability. In fact, it is said Amin could have had a real mental condition: Hypomania. If he didn't have hypomania, then he sure acted like he had it. It is difficult to ignore that this man called Julius Nyerere, a respected pan African leader a "coward, old woman and prostitute". As if that was not enough, Amin then added that he loved Nyerere so much that had he (Nyerere) been a woman, he would have married him.

Let it be very clear that the U.S., United Kingdom and Israel supported Idi Amin when he took power from Obote who was not in the country. They thought they could control him because of his lack of education but they thought wrong. He soon proved to be unhinged and simply mad by engaging in an "economic war" on Ugandan Asians. That was just the beginning. He went on to carry out bloody "wars" against his own people and thus the name The Butcher of Uganda

It was Julius Nyerere, the "old cowardly woman" who Amin loved and could have married that put an end to the despot's madness. Amin had attacked a Tanzanian province and as if to make him eat up his "prostitute" jab, Nyerere came for him with a vengeance. Nyerere was very clear: "We will not change our stance on Amin. Amin is a murderer, a liar and a savage." And that he was. Not for Libya's Gaddafi, Amin might not have survived Nyerere's wrath. Idi Amin died in 2003 in Saudi Arabia. Not many people miss him. He single-handedly discredited pan-African leadership in just eight years of his reign. Idi Amin: A man difficult to miss.