Suspected bomb kills two near shrine in Uganda's capital, local media report
The Daily Monitor and New Vision newspapers reported that the explosion near the Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine in the south of the city had killed at least two people as Ugandans assembled to celebrate Martyrs' Day, which commemorates Christians who were killed for their faith in the 19th century.
NBS, an independent broadcaster, showed video of what appeared to be a motorbike and body on a road surrounded by debris.
A Ugandan army spokesman wrote on X that a "counter-terrorism unit this morning intercepted and neutralized two armed terrorists in Munyonyo, an upscale city suburb."
NTV Uganda said that public access to the area around the shrine had been restricted after the explosion.
"The security services are on heightened alert to ensure the Martyrs Day celebrations proceed without disruption," the army spokesman said.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion.
"Two people were on a motorcycle and an explosion occurred," Ugandan police chief Abas Byakagaba told NBS in a video posted on X.
Byakagaba did not say what happened to the two people on the motorbike but added: "The good thing though is that there were no people nearby who were injured."
Islamic State (IS), which is allied with anti-Uganda rebel group the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), said it carried out the last bombings in Kampala, which killed seven people in 2021.
The ADF was founded by Ugandan Muslims in the 1990s and initially waged war against the Ugandan government from bases in the country's west before fleeing into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where they are blamed by the United Nations for thousands of civilian deaths. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
19 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Effigies of refugees set alight on bonfire condemned in Northern Ireland, World News
MOYGASHEL, Northern Ireland — A model of refugees in a boat, placed on a bonfire in a pro-British town near Belfast, was set alight on Thursday (July 10) night, weeks after migrants' homes were attacked nearby. The display prompted condemnations by politicians across Northern Ireland's political divides, and police said they were investigating it as a hate incident. Bonfires are lit across the British region in mainly Protestant "loyalist" neighbourhoods on the eve of the July 12 commemorations of William of Orange's victory over the Roman Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Effigies of eight immigrants in life jackets were placed in a model boat alongside an Irish flag on top of the bonfire in the town of Moygashel, 65 km west of Belfast. Banners below the boat read "Stop the Boats" and "Veterans before Refugees". A large crowd gathered, many filming on their phones, as the more than 50-wooden-pallet-tall bonfire was set alight at nightfall on Thursday. A pipe band played music and fireworks were lit beforehand. A member of the regional assembly for Irish nationalists Sinn Fein, Colm Gildernew, called the display "deplorable" and a "clear incitement to hatred". Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt had joined Gildernew and others in calling for the effigies to be removed before the bonfire was lit and said he condemned them "without reservation". "This image is sickening, deplorable and entirely out of step with what is supposed to be a cultural celebration," Nesbitt, who is the region's health minister, wrote on X. Bonfires and parades to mark July 12 have often prompted violence, even after a 1998 peace deal largely ended three decades of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. In June, masked rioters attacked police and set homes and cars on fire in Ballymena, 65 km northeast of Moygashel. [[nid:718996]]
Straits Times
02-07-2025
- Straits Times
Ugandan military helicopter crashes at Somalia's Mogadishu airport
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Smoke rises in the direction of Aden Adde airport following an African Union helicopter crash, in Mogadishu, Somalia, July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Feisal Omar MOGADISHU - A Ugandan military helicopter deployed with the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at Mogadishu airport on Wednesday, a Ugandan military spokesperson told Reuters. Three of the helicopter's eight occupants survived the incident, said the spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye, though he did not provide details on the fate of the other five people. There was a fire at the crash site, which emergency responders were trying to extinguish, he said. The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) said in a statement that "search and rescue operations are currently underway to retrieve the remaining crew and passengers." The helicopter crash landed at Mogadishu's international airport just before touching down, AUSSOM said. Earlier on Wednesday, Somalia's state-run SONNA news outlet reported that the helicopter was engulfed in flames after crashing. "We heard the blast and saw smoke and flames over a helicopter," Farah Abdulle, who works at the airport, told Reuters. "The smoke entirely covered the helicopter." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore and Cambodia to expand collaboration in renewable energy, carbon markets and agri-trade Singapore Ong Beng Seng's court hearing rescheduled one day before he was expected to plead guilty Singapore Three hair salons raided in clampdown on touting, vice, drugs in Geylang and Joo Chiat Singapore The romance continues: Former 'Singapore girl', 77, returns to Osaka Expo after 55 years Singapore GrabCab, Singapore's newest taxi operator, hits the roads with over 40 cabs to be rolled out in July Singapore Police looking into claim by driver who caused teen's death that he was an NUS student Singapore Man on trial for raping drunken woman after offering to drive her and her friend home Singapore 3 weeks' jail for man who touched himself on train, flicked bodily fluid on female passenger AUSSOM has more than 11,000 personnel in Somalia to help the country's military tackle Islamist group al Shabaab. The al Qaeda affiliated group has been fighting for nearly two decades to topple Somalia's internationally recognised government and establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Sharia law. REUTERS
Straits Times
29-06-2025
- Straits Times
Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni, 80, to seek reelection
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni delivers the 2025 State of the Nation Address at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, in Kampala, Uganda June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa KAMPALA - Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni has confirmed he intends to contest in next year's presidential election, potentially extending his rule in the east African country to nearly half a century. In a post on the X platform late on Saturday Museveni said he had "expressed my interest in running for... the position of presidential flag bearer," for his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party. The 80-year-old has been ruler of Uganda since 1986 when he seized power after leading a five-year guerrilla war. The ruling party has changed the constitution twice in the past to allow Museveni to extend his rule, and rights activists have accused him of using security forces and patronage to maintain his grip on power. He denies the accusation. Museveni said he is seeking reelection to grow the country to a "$500 billion economy in the next five years." Uganda's GDP currently stands at about $66 billion, according to the finance ministry. The country will hold its presidential election next January, when voters will also elect lawmakers. Museveni's closest opponent will be pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine who came second in the last presidential election in 2021 and has already confirmed his intention to run in 2026. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, rejected the 2021 results, saying his victory had been stolen through ballot stuffing, intimidation by security forces and other irregularities. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
