Idi Amin, the former Ugandan dictator whose brutal reign in the 1970s left hundreds of thousands dead in one of Africa's bloodiest episodes, died in hospital in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah Saturday.
"Mr. Idi Amin died at around 8:00 am. His condition worsened on Friday and he breathed his last today (Saturday) morning at the intensive care unit," an official at Jeddah's King Faisal Specialist Hospital told AFP.
Amin, who had lived in obscure exile in Saudi Arabia since the mid-1980s, was admitted to hospital last month, reportedly for kidney failure.
Several family members, including his wife Madina, were at his bedside when he died. He was believed to be 78, although there is disagreement over his date of birth.
The dictator, who remains a divisive figure in his native Uganda, was given a quick burial in Jeddah in accordance with Islamic faith, short-circuiting the controversial issue of flying his body home, his son said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
