Editing Idi Amin (section)

== Rise in the Uganda Army ==
In 1962, following Uganda's independence from the [[United Kingdom]], Amin was promoted to captain and then, in 1963, to major. He was appointed Deputy Commander of the Army in 1964 and, the following year, to Commander of the Army.<ref name="monitor_01012004" /> In 1970, he was promoted to commander of all the armed forces.<ref name="britishcouncil">{{Cite web |date=2 February 1971 |title=General Idi Amin overthrows Ugandan government |url=http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-history-amin.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225004054/http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-history-amin.htm |archive-date=25 February 2007 |access-date=8 August 2009 |publisher=British Council}}</ref>

Amin was an athlete during his time in both the British and Uganda Army. At {{height|m=1.93}} tall and powerfully built, he was the [[Ugandan]] light heavyweight boxing champion from 1951 to 1960, as well as a swimmer. Amin was also a formidable rugby forward,<ref name="Scotsman">{{Cite news |last=Bridgland |first=Fred |date=16 August 2003 |title=Idi Amin |url=http://news.scotsman.com/idiamin/Idi-Amin.2453742.jp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918181953/http://news.scotsman.com/idiamin/Idi-Amin.2453742.jp |archive-date=18 September 2011 |access-date=8 August 2009 |work=Scotsman |location=Edinburgh}}</ref><ref name="CainGrowden">Cain, Nick and Growden, Greg: "Chapter 21: Ten Peculiar Facts about Rugby" in ''Rugby Union for Dummies'' (2nd Edition), p. 294 (pub: John Wiley and Sons, [[Chichester]], England) {{ISBN|978-0470035375}}</ref> although one officer said of him: {{qi|Idi Amin is a splendid type and a good (rugby) player, but virtually bone from the neck up, and needs things explained in words of one letter}}.<ref name="CainGrowden" /><ref name="Scotsman2">{{Cite news |last=Johnston |first=Ian |date=17 August 2003 |title=Death of a despot, buffoon and killer |url=http://news.scotsman.com/idiamin/Death-of-a-despot-buffoon.2453405.jp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121064206/http://news.scotsman.com/idiamin/Death-of-a-despot-buffoon.2453405.jp |archive-date=21 January 2011 |access-date=24 August 2009 |work=Scotsmanb |location=Edinburgh}}</ref> In the 1950s, he played for Nile RFC.<ref name="RugbyDis">Cotton, p. 111</ref>

There is a frequently repeated urban myth that he was selected as a replacement by the [[East Africa rugby union team]] for their [[1955 British Lions tour to South Africa|1955 tour]] match against the [[British and Irish Lions|British Lions]].<ref name="CainGrowden" /><ref name="RugbyDis" /> Amin, however, does not appear in the team photograph or on the official team list.<ref>Campbell, M. and Cohen, E.J. (1960) ''Rugby Football in East Africa, 1909–1959''. Published by the Rugby Football Union of East Africa</ref>

[[File:Idi Amin - Levi Eshkol - Entebbe 1966-06-12.jpg|thumb|left|Amin (centre-left) as chief of staff during a visit of [[Israel]]i [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]] [[Levi Eshkol]] (centre) in 1966 ]]

In 1965, [[Prime Minister of Uganda|Prime Minister]] [[Milton Obote]] and Amin were implicated in a deal to smuggle ivory and gold into Uganda from the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. The deal, as later alleged by General Nicholas Olenga, an associate of the former Congolese leader [[Patrice Lumumba]], was part of an arrangement to help troops opposed to the Congolese government trade ivory and gold for arms supplies secretly smuggled to them by Amin. In 1966, the [[Parliament of Uganda|Ugandan Parliament]] demanded an investigation. Obote imposed a new constitution abolishing the ceremonial presidency held by [[Kabaka of Buganda|Kabaka]] (King) [[Mutesa II of Buganda]] and declared himself executive president. He promoted Amin to colonel and army commander. Amin led [[Battle of Mengo Hill|an attack]] on the Kabaka's palace and forced Mutesa into exile to the United Kingdom, where he remained until his death in 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Country Studies: Uganda: Independence: The Early Years |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ugtoc.html#ug0159 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716190740/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ugtoc.html#ug0159 |archive-date=16 July 2012 |access-date=8 August 2009 |website=Federal Research Division |publisher=United States Library of Congress}}</ref><ref name="bookrags">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2005 |title=Idi Amin Dada Biography |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of World Biography |publisher=Thomson Gale |url=http://www.bookrags.com/biography/idi-amin-dada |access-date=20 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519191543/http://www.bookrags.com/biography/idi-amin-dada/ |archive-date=19 May 2011}}</ref>

Amin began recruiting members of Kakwa, Lugbara, [[South Sudanese]], and other ethnic groups from the [[West Nile sub-region|West Nile]] area bordering [[South Sudan]]. The South Sudanese had been residents in [[Uganda]] since the early 20th century, having come from South Sudan to serve the colonial army. Many African ethnic groups in northern Uganda inhabit both Uganda and South Sudan; allegations persist that Amin's army consisted mainly of South Sudanese soldiers.<ref name="Anyanya">{{Cite web |last=Nantulya |first=Paul |year=2001 |title=Exclusion, Identity and Armed Conflict: A Historical Survey of the Politics of Confrontation in Uganda with Specific Reference to the Independence Era |url=http://www.kas.org.za/Publications/SeminarReports/PoliticsofIdentityandExclusion/nantulya.pdf#search=%22%22idi%20amin%22%20anyanya%22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004231023/http://www.kas.org.za/Publications/SeminarReports/PoliticsofIdentityandExclusion/nantulya.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2006}}</ref>