NAQT 20th Century African Leaders — Flashcards

He was the president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He was a military leader who came to power in a coup when Prime Minister Milton Obote was out of the country. While in power, Amin encouraged death squads such as the Public Safety Unit and the State Research Bureau, and he has been blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths. In 1972 Amin expelled tens of thousands of Asians from Uganda. Amin allowed Palestinian hijackers to land a captured Air France plane at Entebbe Airport in 1976; Jewish hostages on board were freed by Operation Thunderbolt, an Israeli commando operation during which Yonatan Netanyahu, the older brother of the future Prime Minister Benjamin, was killed. A 1979 invasion by Tanzania forced Amin from power; he fled to exile in Saudi Arabia.