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The Star
7 days ago
- General
- The Star
Two suspected Uganda rebels killed in Kampala blast, officials say
Forensic experts secure the scene of a bomb blast near the Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine, a Roman Catholic shrine as Ugandans assembled to celebrate Martyrs' Day, which commemorates Christians who were killed for their faith in the 19th century, in Munyonyo suburb of Kampala, Uganda June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa KAMPALA (Reuters) -An explosion killed two suspected rebels including a female suicide bomber near a Roman Catholic shrine in Uganda's capital Kampala on Tuesday morning, but no other people were reported hurt, authorities said. The Daily Monitor and New Vision newspapers reported that the blast 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. The two assailants were thought to be linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Congo-based rebel group allied to Islamic State (IS) which claimed responsibility for multiple bombings in 2021, Ugandan army spokesman Chris Magezi told Reuters. Magezi wrote on X that a "counter-terrorism unit this morning intercepted and neutralized two armed terrorists in Munyonyo, an upscale city suburb." One of the individuals was a female suicide bomber "laden with powerful explosives," Magezi said. NBS, an independent broadcaster, showed video of what appeared to be a motorbike and body on a road surrounded by debris. 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." 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. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema and Hereward Holland;Editing by Alexander Winning, Bernadette Baum and Timothy Heritage)
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Uganda passes law to restore military prosecutions of civilians
FILE PHOTO: Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni addresses the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa/File Photo KAMPALA - Uganda's parliament on Tuesday passed an amended law that permits military tribunals to try civilians, prompting protests from the opposition who said the move violated a Supreme Court ruling in January that banned such trials. The practice, in use for the last two decades, has long been criticised by opposition politicians and rights campaigners who accuse the government of using courts martial to silence opponents, which it denies. In a post on the X platform, parliament said the legislation had been passed. The head of the military, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, praised the speaker of parliament and government lawmakers for passing the bill. "Today, you proved you are fearless patriots! Uganda will remember your courage and commitment," he said on X. Military spokesman Chris Magezi said the law "will deal decisively with armed violent criminals, deter the formation of militant political groups that seek to subvert democratic processes, and ensure national security is bound on a firm foundational base." During a debate on the law, opposition politician Jonathan Odur, said the legislation was "shallow, unreasonable and unconstitutional." "There's no legal basis to provide for trial of civilians in the military court." The next step will be for President Yoweri Museveni to approve the law for it to take effect. In a ruling in January, Uganda's Supreme Court forbade military trials of civilians, saying the tribunals lacked legal competence to handle criminal trials in a fair and impartial manner. The verdict forced authorities to transfer the trial of a major opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, who was undergoing military prosecution for offences including treason, to a civilian court. Besigye, who has previously challenged incumbent Museveni four times in elections, was detained in neighbouring Kenya last year and brought to Uganda to face a military court. His lawyers and his party, the People's Front for Freedom (PFF), have called the charges politically motivated. Opposition leader Bobi Wine was also in 2018 charged in a military court for alleged illegal possession of firearms although the charges against the pop star-turned-politician were later dropped. Human Rights Watch has previously criticised Uganda's military courts, saying they did not meet international judicial standards of competence, independence and impartiality. The courts also routinely use evidence extracted through torture of defendants while also ignoring other key fair trial rules, the rights group said. The military denies the accusations. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Uganda declares end to latest ebola outbreak
FILE PHOTO: Ugandan doctors attend the contacts of a patient who had tested positive, during the launch of the vaccination for the Sudan strain of Ebola virus, with a trial vaccine at the Mulago Guest House (Isolation centre) in Kampala, Uganda, February 3, 2025. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa/File Photo KAMPALA - Uganda on Saturday declared an end to the country's latest outbreak of ebola, three months after authorities confirmed cases of the highly infectious and often fatal viral hemorrhagic infection in the capital Kampala. The East African country announced its latest outbreak on January 30 after the death of a male nurse who tested positive for the virus. "Good news! The current ebola Sudan Virus Disease outbreak has officially come to an end," the health ministry said in a post on the X platform. It added the declaration of the end of the outbreak followed 42 days "without a new case since the last confirmed patient was discharged." In the post, the ministry did not give the latest total caseload recorded during the outbreak. In early March when the ministry last reported on the caseload, it said at least ten cases had been recorded with two deaths. Ebola infections are frequent in Uganda which has many tropical forests that are natural reservoirs for the virus. The latest outbreak, caused by the Sudan strain of the virus which has no approved vaccine, was Uganda's ninth since the country recorded its first infection in 2000. Uganda also neighbours the Democratic Republic of Congo which has recorded over a dozen outbreaks, including one in 2018-2020 that killed nearly 2,300 people. The outbreak started in Kampala, a crowded city of about four million that is also a crossroads for routes branching out to eastern Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan. Although outbreaks have been common, health experts say the country has been able to leverage on its experience battling the disease over the years to bring them under control relatively quickly. Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue. Symptoms include headache, vomiting of blood, muscle pains and bleeding. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
26-04-2025
- Health
- The Star
Uganda declares end to latest ebola outbreak
Ugandan doctors attend the contacts of a patient who had tested positive, during the launch of the vaccination for the Sudan strain of Ebola virus, with a trial vaccine at the Mulago Guest House (Isolation centre) in Kampala, Uganda, February 3, 2025. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa
