Idi Amin is most famous for slaughtering 300,00 people during an eight year reign of insanity in Uganda. His more famous exploits include setting up extermination camps next to his holiday villa and keeping the severd heads of his politcal opponents in his fridge. Clearly insane, he was also quite amusing......hmmm

Idi Amin's diplomacy: In the 1950's Amin served in a Scottish regiment in colonial Kenya. On becoming president of Uganda, therefore, he also took the title of 'the last king of Scotland', and decreed that the Ugandan presidential guard should wear kilts and play bagpipes to signal their support for Scottish separatism.

In Febuary 1975, Radio Kampala claimed that Buckingham Palace had received the following letter from him: 'My dear Queen, I intend to arrive in London for an offical visit on August 4th, but I am writing now to give you time to make the necessary preparations for my stay. I am particularly concerned about food because I know that you are in the middle of an economic crisis. I would also like you to arrange for me to visit Scotland, Ireland and Wales to meet the heads of the revoluationary movements fighting agaisnt your imperialist oppression.'

Similiarly, he had a penchant for writing telegrams. To Richard Nixon during Watergate he dispatched: 'If your country does not understand you, come to Papa Amin who loves you. A kiss on both your cheeks. P.s. When the stability of a nation is in danger, the only solution is, unfortunetly, to imprison the leaders of the opposition.' To the Israeli government during the Yom Kippur war: 'I command you to surrneder.'

Idi Amin dispenses with Diplomacy and decides to go to war: In 1979 he decided to conquer South Africa. As part of his military preparation he renamed an island facing his villa on Lake Victoria 'Cape Town' and had it constantly bombarded by the air force. Also, in the name of preparation for his invasion, he attacked Tanzania not expecting much resistance as Tanzania's Marxist intellectual of a president, Julius Nyerere, had already turned down Amin's request that, like men, they should fight in a boxing match. (Amin being a retired professional of the sport, and Nyerere clearly being a big girl's blouse.)However, the Tanzanian's ordered a return invasion promising to lynch Idi Amin-who made a hasty escape to Libiya in Colonel Gaddaffi's private plane. Thus ended his rule of terror, and his comedy capers too.

M. Steyn