Ugandan President for Life Idi Amin in military attire. January 01, 1900| Credit: Bettmann http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/
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Amin was extremely charismatic and skilled. He was a giant who stood at 6 feet 4 inches and was the heavyweight boxing champion of Uganda as well as a skillful swimmer.[3] Soon Amin rose in ranks and was deployed to the Somalia in 1949 to fight and defend Uganda. He also later fought with the British during the suppression of the Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya.[4] In 1959 Amin was able to attain the rank of effendi, the highest position for a black African soldier within the KAR, and by 1966, he had been appointed commander of the armed forces.[5]
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