Commonwealth
After hearing that Obote was planning to arrest him for misappropriating army funds, Amin seized power in a military coup when Obote is attending a Commonwealth summit meeting in Singapore
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1971 in Uganda
Explore 16 historical events and records for Uganda in 1971.
Historical records for Uganda in 1971
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 16 of 16 unique records.
16Unique records
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7Named events on this page
2Named people on this page
1Places on this page
January
Commonwealth
After hearing that Obote was planning to arrest him for misappropriating army funds, Amin seized power in a military coup when Obote is attending a Commonwealth summit meeting in Singapore
Coup
After hearing that Obote was planning to arrest him for misappropriating army funds, Amin seized power in a military coup when Obote is attending a Commonwealth summit meeting in Singapore.
Coup
Amin's government expelled 49,000 Ugandan Asians.
Coup
Idi Amin Dada overthrows President Obote.
Coup
Idi Amin is initially welcomed both within Uganda and by the international community, In an internal memo, the British Foreign Office described him as "A splendid type and a good football player."
Coup
Over 300,000 opponents of the new regime are killed.
Coup
After hearing that Obote was planning to arrest him for misappropriating army funds, Amin seized power in a military coup when Obote is attending a Commonwealth summit meeting in Singapore
July
Coup
Leaves Uganda following a military coup
Exile of Milton Obote
Forced to seek exile in Zambia
Other events (month unknown)
Burial
Amin gives the former King and President Mutesa, who had died in exile, a state burial
Exile of Milton Obote
Returns from Tanzania
Massacre
Amin founds the so-called "State Research Bureau," which are death squads to hunt down and murder Obotes supporters, as well as much of the intelligentsia, whom he distrusted
Massacre
Amin established the so-called "State Research Bureau," which were actually his own brand of death squads to hunt down and murder Obotes supporters, as well as much of the intelligentsia, whom he distrusted
President of Uganda
Appointed President of Uganda, 2nd term
State Research Bureau
Amin founds the so-called "State Research Bureau," which are death squads to hunt down and murder Obotes supporters, as well as much of the intelligentsia, whom he distrusted
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.