1971 Ugandan coup d'état

Belligerents

Ugandan government

• Loyal state institutions

Ugandan putschists

• Rebel military faction
• Rebel police faction

Supported by:
IsraelCommanders and leadersMilton Obote
(President of Uganda)
Basil Kiiza Bataringaya
(Minister of Internal Affairs)
Ahmad Oduka 
(Senior superintendent of police)
Suleiman HusseinIdi Amin
(Commander of the army)
Erinayo Wilson Oryema
(Inspector general of police)
Juma Butabika
Isaac MaliyamunguStrength Unknown 5,700 soldiers; 5,500 policemenCasualties and losses Many Acohli and Lango soldiers murdered Unknown

A military coup d'état overthrew the president of Uganda, Milton Obote, on January 25, 1971. It took place while Obote was attending the CommonwealthHeads of Government Meeting in Singapore, and was staged by Idi Amin, the commander of the Uganda Army at the time. For various reasons, relations between Obote and Amin—his army commander—had become insidiously strained. Amin's plot (allegedly under Israeli auspices) was primarily driven by a concern to retain power over the military, hence guaranteeing his own personal survival. After the coup's success, Amin installed himself as president; ruling—until 1979—by decree over an impoverished nation. He is often referred to as one of the most brutal dictators in modern political history.