Idi Amin’s overthrow. Ugandan dictator Idi Amin fled the capital Kampala in the face of advancing Tanzanian troops and the Uganda National Liberation Front. Two days later, Kampala fell, and power was handed over to a coalition government composed of former exiles. Amin, head of the Ugandan army and air force since 1966, had seized control of the nation in 1971. A despotic and fervent nationalist, Amin implemented a program of genocide against the Lango and Acholi ethnic groups. In 1972, he expelled all Asians without Ugandan citizenship from the country, forcing the departure of approximately 60,000 Indians and Pakistanis. However, Asians constituted a large portion of Uganda’s workforce, and with their departure, the economy collapsed. In October 1978, Amin unsuccessfully attacked Tanzania, attempting to divert attention from his internal problems. In 1979, Tanzanian and anti-Tanzanian forces invaded the country, overthrowing the regime and ending eight years of dictatorship. Amin fled to Libya and later settled in Saudi Arabia. He was held responsible for the deaths of 300,000 Ugandans.
