Did you know that there was a President so cruel that he ate the entrails of those he ordered executed? He proclaimed himself Last King of Scotland. Join us in this interesting story that shows us that, sometimes, power generates madness.
The last King of Scotland. The Butcher of Uganda
Idi Amin Dada, Ugandan born in 1925, joined in 1946 the british colonial regiment.
His achievements as an athlete, including boxing champion in the light heavyweight category from 1951 to 1960, they earned him prestige in the colonial army. He exercised the Uganda presidency from 1971 to 1979, thanks to a coup against the then president Milton Obote, coming to power with the rank of General in the Ugandan Army and promoting himself to Field Marshal.
At the beginning of his government he had enough support of the citizens and the Occidental countriessince it was believed that it would achieve improve the situation of the country – it was even called “Big Daddy”-. These expectations allowed him to travel to the United Kingdom, on one of his first trips, sending this message to the Queen Elizabeth II:
“I am sending you this message clearly, so that you have enough time to make all the necessary arrangements that are required for my comfortable stay in your country. For example, because I know that your economy is poor in many fields, I hope that during my stay do not miss any essential comfort. If «Lady Queen Best» wants to believe it, I’m going to London and no one can stop me. Whether you like it or not, I am going with 250 Ugandan Reserve Force soldiers as my guard force. I want to see how strong they are British and I want you to see powerful man from the continent of Africa.”
Shortly afterwards, reality came quite differently than expected to the people of Uganda, as they were difficult years in which Asian and UK foreigners were expelled. In addition, a large number of human rights abuses, among them torture and murder, reaching 500,000 victims.
The claws of Idi Amin Dada’s violence had no limits, anyone who person who opposed to him, it “mysteriously” disappeared. In other cases, the person in question was ridiculed or tortured until death in television broadcasts at the national level. Such was the cruelty of this “leader”, who at the time of murdering his victims dressed them in white with the idea that the blood It could be perceived better on this color.
At the end of 1976, the United Kingdom, based on the large number of crimes against humanity, decided to break diplomatic relations with Uganda. This was reason enough for Idi Amin to declare to the World that he had defeated the British and decorated himself with the title of: “His Excellency the President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of all the beasts of the Earth and the fish of the sea, Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in particular and King of Scotland.”
In 1978, the number of supporters of this eccentric leader was drastically reduced and, added to the attack by exiled groups, the result was the flight of Amin I to Libya and, finally, to Saudi Arabia. In this country he received financial support and a court of servants until the end of his days on August 16, 2003, when he died of kidney failure. Unfortunately, he was never tried for his crimes, nor did he ever express any regret for his actions.
President’s eccentricities
The eccentricity of the “Leader” reached unsuspected limits. Below is a list of some of the disastrous peculiarities of this character:
- Before coming to power, while he was a soldier, he subjected prisoners to cruel torture, such as asphyxiation induced by the insertion of handkerchiefs into the throat or the amputation of sexual organs.
- Many claimed that he was a cannibal and that in the places where he lived he had refrigerators where he kept human meat. Furthermore, he himself declared: “I like human meat because it is softer and saltier (…), at a banquet it is what I miss the most when I am away from my country.” After executing his victims, guilty or not, he ordered their bodies to be dismembered and, according to many witnesses, ate their viscera and other body parts.
- On one occasion, he sent a message to Queen Elizabeth of England, whom he considered a friend, in which he referred to her as “Liz,” telling her: “You should come to Uganda if you want to meet a real man.”
- In 1976, he had a group of whites from the Kampala region carry him on a throne and kneel at his feet, taking an oath of loyalty.
- In his personal life, Idi Amin was polygamous, marrying 6 women. One of his last marriages took place a few months before his death. The dictator left a descendant of between 30 to 40 children.
- He created the Victorious Cross to emulate the British Victoria Cross.
- Idi Amin repudiated his first wife so he could marry his second. Days later, after disowning her, she was murdered and dismembered inside a car. Her legs and arms were sewn backwards and, finally, she was exhibited for several days, as an example of the cruelty to which the dictator could go.
- He proclaimed himself Last king of Scotland either Conqueror of the British Empire.
If you want more information on this topic, many books have been written about this character, including:
- Idi Amin Dada: Hitler in Africa by Thomas Patrick Melady, (1977)
Excellent films have also been made such as:
- The Last King of Scotland
- Rise and Fall of Idi Amin
- Anti-kidnapping Brigade
If you were interested in this article about the Last King of Scotland, you may want to know more about deformities of historical figures.