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eventREF E-0073086Revised

Event record

Ugandan President Idi Amin releases political prisoners

Date
28 Jan 1971
Updated
30 Sep 2019
Ugandan President Idi Amin releases political prisoners

On 28 January 1971, just three days after General Idi Amin Dada overthrew Milton Obote, he released all political prisoners detained by Obote’s government. He wasted no time announcing names of 17 new cabinet Ministers.  Amin overthrew his long time ally turned enemy on 25 January 1971, while attending a conference in Singapore. Initially Ugandans accepted Amin who would become their worst nightmare. His guards purged and killed Obote’s supporters who were seen as a threat to his administration. In 1972 he savagely attacked the Israelis and the British who previously had been his close foreign allies. The reason for attack was his inability to obtain arms from their respective countries. Once Muammar Qaddafi of Libya agreed to help, Amin, promptly expelled the Israelis and more than 50,000 Asians holding British passports from Uganda.

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How we know this

  1. 01Twaddle M. (2008), ‘Journal of the Commonwealth Political Studies’, [School of oriental and African Studies, London] pg 99.
  2. 02Answers.com, ‘Idi Amin’,From: Answers.com, [online], available at www.answers.com[accessed: 07 December 2011]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, January 27). Ugandan President Idi Amin releases political prisoners. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0073086

South African History Online (2012) 'Ugandan President Idi Amin releases political prisoners', South African History Online, 27 January. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0073086 (Accessed: 4 September 2026).

South African History Online, Ugandan President Idi Amin releases political prisoners [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0073086, (accessed 4 September 2026).

"Ugandan President Idi Amin releases political prisoners." South African History Online, 27 Jan. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0073086. Accessed 4 Sept. 2026.

South African History Online. "Ugandan President Idi Amin releases political prisoners." South African History Online. January 27, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0073086.

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