On Feb. 2 Major-General Idi Amin, announcing that he had taken the necessary constitutional steps to confirm himself in power, declared that certain provisions of the Constitution had been suspended.
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As a result, all powers previously held by the President would be vested in himself as military Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Parliament was dissolved and all legislative powers were vested in the new Head of State, who would legislate by decrees signed by himself and would be assisted by a Cabinet with advisory functions. All Uganda's international obligations, he added, would be fully observed.
The General also set up a Defence Council with himself as chairman and including the Army Chief of Staff, the Chief of Air Staff and others whom he would appoint in writing.
Amin (45), a Moslem from the Kakua tribe (of northern Uganda), was a veteran of the King's African Rifles and had fought in Burma during World War II and later against the Mau in Kenya. When Uganda became independent in 1962 he held the rank of captain; he was trained as a paratrooper in Israel, and for nine years held Uganda's heavyweight boxing title. In 1964 he replaced Colonel J. B. Hamilton as commander of the 1st Battalion Uganda Rifles, and in 1965 became Deputy Commander of the Army. In February 1966 he was publicly accused of being implicated in a plot to overthrow the Constitution and also of being involved in transactions with Congolese rebels led by M. Christophe Gbenye (whom the Uganda Government was said to have supported secretly in 1964) but these charges were never proceeded with.
In May 1966 Colonel Amin led the attack on the Kabaka's palace, which eventually led to the abolition of the monarchy. In October 1970 President Obote himself took over control of the armed forces, reducing General Amin from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, which he had held for a few months only, to that of Commander-in-Chief of the Army, while Brigadier Hussein was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army.
The Government of President Obote was overthrown on Jan. 25 by troops led by Major-General Idi Amin, commander of Uganda's Army (of some 5,700 officers and men), with the co-operation of the police force (of some 5,500 men), while the President was about to return to Uganda from the Commonwealth Conference in Singapore.
According to a statement by General Amin on Jan. 26, a secret meeting had been held, during Dr. Obote's absence in Singapore.The secret meeting's decision, however, was, General Amin said, betrayed to him by a private soldier on Jan. 24. He thereupon acted at once to forestall its execution, and both Mr. Oryema and Mr. Okware supported him in his action.
Dr. Obote, on the other hand, stated in Dar-es-Salaam on Jan. 30 that he had, through a senior official in Singapore, received on Jan. 28 news of a plot against him, in which he was to be killed as he stepped off his aircraft on his return to Uganda on Jan. 26 and all Ministers awaiting him were also to be shot; he added that he had given orders that all those who had been seen at the secret meeting hatching this plot should be arrested, except for General Amin, who was to be persuaded not to plunge the country into chaos. These orders were to be carried out by Lieut.-Colonel David Owito Ojok.
General Amin's troops early on Jan. 25 seized all key installations in Kampala and Entebbe, where some resistance was offered by soldiers loyal to President Obote and by members of the General Service Unit, who were, however, disarmed. Fierce fighting was reported the same day from Jinja, about 50 miles from Kampala and the base of troops led by Brigadier Hussein, and some fighting also took place at a police college in Kampala. Mr. Oryema, however, announced at 4.30 p.m. that the Army and the police had together taken over complete control of the country. Entebbe airport had been closed by troops to prevent Dr. Obote's return, a dusk-to-dawn curfew had been imposed, and five of Dr. Obote's Cabinet Ministers were reported to be under arrest.
In a broadcast the same day it was announced that General Amin had accepted the task of government on the understanding that there would be an early return to civilian rule after "free and fair general elections", to be held as soon as the security situation was stable. President Obote's policies, the broadcast stated, would have led to bloodshed; his economic policies had benefited "the rich, big men", while others were getting poorer as prices had risen; relations with Kenya and Tanzania had deteriorated; and Dr. Obote's home region of Lango (in the north) had been given preferential treatment in its development at the expense of other parts of the country.
The new regime immediately ordered the release of all political prisoners, including five former Cabinet Ministers held on "false or unspecified charges", and allowed all political exiles to return.
On Jan. 26 General Amin proclaimed himself Head of State.
This article comes from Keesings Worldwide Online
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