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.

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.

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 tribalism and embezzlement, with Obote reportedly favoring those from his Lango ethnic group and enriching himself at the expense of the average Ugandan.

Here, some soldiers loyal to President Obote and members of the General Service Unit resisted the coup forces while some fighting also took place at the Kampala police college.

[11] After having seized control of the government, Amin moved to purge the military of political rivals, and orchestrated the murder of Langi soldiers (Obote's tribe) and their Acholi cousins .

With the approval of P the ident of Tanzania Julius Nyerere, these Ugandan exiles formed a small guerilla army, and invaded Uganda in 1972.

Nevertheless, the conflict resulted in a sharp deterioration of relations between Uganda and Tanzania, which ultimately contributed to the Uganda–Tanzania War and the fall of Amin's regime in 1979.