He became the 8th President of Uganda in 1986 and was praised by the west, until he invaded the Congo during it's second major war.
He was a Marxist. He majored in economics at the University of Dar es Salaam.
His last name means 'Son of a man of the Seventh,' which refers to a British army that many Ugandans served in during World War II.
He raised four children with his wife Janet Kataha.
Sudanese vice-president John Garang died while riding in one of his helicopters.
