Today In History- Idi Amin's Coup D'état

The 1971 coup d'état in Uganda was the military overthrow of president Milton Obote's government. It was staged on January 25 by commander of the Uganda Army Idi Amin Dada, while Obote was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Singapore.For various reasons, relations between Obote and Amin,his army commander, had become insidiously strained. Amin's plot was primarily driven by a concern to retain power over the military hence guaranteeing his own personal survival.
Entebbe International Airport was sealed off to prevent Obote's return, as tanks and soldiers patrolled the streets of Kampala and Entebbe. Here, some soldiers loyal to President Obote and members of the General Service Unit resisted the coup forces while some fighting also took place at the Kampala police college.Fierce fighting was reported in Jinja, about 80 kilometres from Kampala. Obote's residence was surrounded and major roads were blocked, and a nighttime curfew was imposed by the coup forces.Overall, the Obote loyalists were too disorganized to offer an effective resistance, and they were quickly overwhelmed. At 4:30pm it was announced that the Army and the police under Amin's leadership had control of the entire country.
Amin therefore became the president of Uganda, and ruled until April 11 1979 where he was overthrown and Obote reclaimed his presidency.