1971 Ugandan coup d'état

The 1971 Ugandan coup d'état was a military coup d'état that overthrew the then president of Uganda Milton Obote. The coup occurred on January 25, 1971, while Obote was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Singapore, and was staged by Idi Amin, the commander of the Uganda Army at the time. For various reasons, relations between Obote and Amin—his army commander—had become insidiously strained. Amin's plot (allegedly under Israeli auspices) was primarily driven by a concern to retain power over the military, hence guaranteeing his own personal survival. After the coup's success, Amin installed himself as president; ruling—until 1979—by decree over an impoverished nation. He is often referred to as one of the most brutal dictators in modern political history.

The 1971 coup is often cited as an example of "class action by the military", wherein the Uganda Army acted against a president whom they accused of nepotism and embezzlement, with Obote reportedly favoring those from his Lango ethnic group and enriching himself at the expense of the average Ugandan.