Idi Amin was a Ugandan military dictator who had a net worth of AT LEAST $100 million, though it is extremely difficult to peg the amount of wealth that was plundered and stashed in bank accounts during his reign of terror.

What is Idi Amin’s Net Worth?

Idi Amin ruled Uganda between 1971 and his overthrow in 1979. During his reign, he committed countless human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, political repression, and rampant corruption, earning him the nickname “The Butcher of Uganda.”

Early Life

Idi Amin Dada Oumee was born in Kampala, Uganda, on May 30, 1928, the third son of a Lugbara mother and a Kakwa father. When he was four years old, his parents divorced, and he was subsequently brought up by his mother’s family in a rural farming town. Amin reportedly worked as a goat farmer while living with his mother’s relatives. In 1940, he moved in with his maternal uncle in Bombo. Midway through the decade, he moved back to Kampala and took a number of odd jobs, including doorman and concierge assistant at the Grand Imperial Hotel.

King’s African Rifles

In 1946, Amin enlisted in the King’s African Rifles, a regiment of the British Colonial Auxiliary Forces. He was an assistant cook at first but rose to lieutenant and served with British forces battling Somali rebels. Amin then served against the Mau Mau rebels in Kenya in 1952. In that year, he gained promotion to corporal, and in 1953, he was made sergeant. In 1959, Amin achieved the highest possible rank for a black soldier in the King’s African Rifles and returned to Uganda. When Uganda gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1962, Amin remained in the Ugandan Army and was gradually promoted to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Army in 1964. Shortly after, he was appointed Commander of the Army.

Military Dictatorship

Finding out that the Uganda president, Milton Obote, with whom he had a very strained working relationship, was going to arrest him on account of mismanaging army funds, Amin launched a military coup d’état against the Ugandan government in early 1971. The coup proved successful, and Amin installed himself as president under military rule. He went on to reign with extreme brutality over an impoverished nation, conducting rampant human rights abuses including extrajudicial killings, political repression, and all manner of corruption. Amin was supported by various other totalitarian regimes, including those in Libya, the Soviet Union, and East Germany.

In 1972, Amin forcibly expelled Uganda’s Southeast Asian population, and in 1975 he became the chair of the Organisation of African Unity. As his reign continued, Amin grew more erratic while stepping up the persecution of ethnic minorities and political dissidents, creating increasing social unrest. Estimates record that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were murdered under his regime. In 1978, Amin tried to annex the Kagera Region of Tanzania, which prompted an invasion of Uganda by Tanzanian troops. With the

assistance of the rebel forces, the Tanzanian Army was able to capture Kampala and oust Amin in 1979. Exile Following his ousting from power, Amin went into exile. Soldier of Fortune magazine offered a $10,000 bounty in gold for anyone who could provide information leading to his live capture. Amin spent time in exile in Libya until 1980, then briefly in Iraq. He settled in Saudi Arabia, where the Saudi royal family granted him asylum and a subsidy for staying away from politics. In 1989, without permission from the Saudi government, Amin left exile and went to Zaire with one of his sons; his goal was to mobilize a rebel force to take back power in Uganda. However, he was immediately recognized at the airport in Zaire and was promptly arrested. After much wrangling and tensions with various governments, Amin was allowed to go back to Saudi Arabia on the

condition that he never again engage in political or military activities. He stayed in the country until his death. Personal Life and Death Amin was married to at least seven women during his lifetime, three of whom he divorced. His wives included Malyamu, Kay, Nora, and the 19-year-old Sarah Kyolaba. With Kyolaba, Amin had four children. He reportedly had as many as 60 children, with at least 40 being official. In July 2003, Amin’s fourth wife, Nalongo Madina, reported that Amin was in a coma caused by kidney failure. He was connected to a life support system in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia until his family decided to unplug him; he died on August 16, 2003. Amin’s body was buried in Ruwais Cemetery in Jeddah without any form of ceremony.