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In 1976, his army protected Arab terrorists who hijacked an Israeli airliner at Entebbe Airport. When Amin delayed in freeing the hostages, Israel sent commandos that ambushed the terrorists and his army. Over twenty people died, including three hostages but the others were saved, except one. While the airport was open, Jewish diplomats and their families crammed inside a jetliner and left Uganda. In a reprisal, Amin's State Research thugs kidnapped the older, Israeli woman from a hospital. They shot her and dumped the body in the woods. Ugandan press said Israeli commandos killed during the raid. The West grew tired of Amin, but refused to help Uganda. The dictator used mass murder in response for his humiliation. Ugandans died in such numbers, the river became choked with floating corpses. One last murder spelled the end of Amin's reign. A Catholic Archbishop protested the dictator's repression of Ugandan civilians. That protest signed his death warrant. His armored car got sprayed in a drive-by. And then, the scene was poorly staged to look like a car accident.

In 1979, Amin invaded Tanzania's border. He murdered civilians in the Kagera Salient. He also shot Ugandans and put their mangled bodies near the border. He instructed the press to say he "defended" the country from Tanzanian guerrillas. However, Amin's shenanigans were met with a bloody response.

Tanzania did invade Uganda and put Amin's forces to rout. The Uganda capital of Kampala was filled with Amin's troops running for their lives. Some suffered "frontier justice" at the hands of the people they abused. The dictator fled in a helicopter and abandoned his army. The Islamic nation of Saudi Arabia granted Amin asylum. To this day, princes gave him an allowance, a harlem of willing women to pleasure him and sanctuary from prosecution on war crimes.

Idi Amin was an example of raw colonialism. He was ill-equipped, brutal and unrepetant. The British government mismanaged Amin and set him loose on a population just wanting independence. He gave them repression, death and poverty that repeated when Obote re-occupied Amin's vacant seat. Obote murdered another 800,000 during his reign. He did get his pound of flesh from the State Research Bureau. Amin only secured exile for himself and paid his five wives and twenty children safe passage out of Uganda.

Amin saved his last ounce of mercy for his immediate family. He abandoned his country to the abyss he, himself created.

Learn more about this author, Marcus Brooks.
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