Mohamed Amin came when his photos, along with Michael Buerk's reporting of the 1984 Ethiopian famine brought international attention to the crisis and eventually helped start the charity wave that resulted in Live Aid concerts. Apart from Ethiopian famine, he contributed exclusive photos of the fall of Idi Amin and of Mengistu Haile Mariam, and was author of numerous books, including "Journey Through Pakistan", "Pilgrimage to Mecca", and covered various themes like East African Wildlife and the Uganda Railway. Amin also published issues of "Selamta", the Ethiopian Airlines in-flight magazine. In 1991, Amin lost his left arm during an ammunition dump explosion
Idi Amin estimated by international observers and human rights groups to range from 100,000 to 500,000. Amin did not write an autobiography, and he did not authorize an official written account of his life. There are, therefore, discrepancies regarding when and where he was born. Most biographical sources claim that he was born in either Koboko or Kampala around 1925. Other unconfirmed sources state Amin's year of birth from as early as 1923 to as late as 1928. Amin's son Hussein has stated that his father was born in Kampala in 1928. According to Fred Guweddeko, a researcher at Makerere University, Amin