By Jamel Nampijja / GICJ
In Uganda, two consecutive explosions rocked the nation’s capital Kampala on Tuesday 16th November 2021, killing two civilians and a police officer and injuring at least 36 who were rushed to Mulago Hospital (main public referral hospital). The blasts occurred three minutes from each other, one was close to the central police station and the other one on parliament avenue nearthe parliamentary building.
In a statement on their Telegram channels, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings and a third attack that was fortunately halted by the Ugandan Police. Indeed, the police found an improvised explosive device from the home of an alleged suicide bomber who was shot and injured, and were in pursuit of other members of the group, police spokesman Fred Enanga said during the press conference.
In the few weeks leading to these attacks, Uganda’s officials urged the public to remain vigilant for possible bomb attacks, after several bomb threats were reported. On the evening of Monday 25th October; two explosions were reported; one in a bus in Lungala 35kms west of Kampala killing one person believed to be the suicide bomber. On Saturday 30th October a second bomb blast was reported at a popular roadside restaurant in northern Kampala which killed a 20 year old woman. The bomb was in a plastic shopping bag that was carried into the restaurant by the suspect who denoted it a few minutes after they left. Uganda Police said both these explosions were carried out by the Allied Democratic Force (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group that has been accused of killing thousands of civilians in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In April 2019, the Islamic State had claimed affiliation with ADF, asserting the group was their regional branch “the Islamic State Central Africa Province” (ISCAP), and in March 2021 the US officially recognized the ties between ADF and the Islamic State.
GICJ condemns these acts of terror in Uganda. The surging growth in extremism and terrorism in Africa is alarming, the recent attacks in Uganda are some of many acts of violence on the continent. We call upon the African Union and international community to come together in combating terrorist groups like ADF and the Islamic State through information-sharing and capacity building. Africa’s strategy of deploying military as a tactic to prevent terrorism has managed to contain possible attacks but the immediate focus should be combating the recruitment and radicalization of new fighters without promoting islamophobia.
GICJ reiterates its long-standing position that the UN and the international community should address the root causes of terrorism, which include fighting racism, injustice, and poverty worldwide.
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