The Police in Kampala have revealed that at least 14 foreigners including Ethiopians, Indians, Americans and Congolese were victims in Sunday evening’s bomb blasts in two suburbs of the Ugandan capital Kampala.
Police Spokesperson, Judith Nabakooba says at least 65 people had by 11am Monday been confirmed dead from the bombs that targeted people watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Netherlands that was being broadcast live in several entertainment venues.
Three bombs went off Sunday night, one at the Ethiopian Restaurant in Kabalagala and two at Lugogo Rugby grounds where the World cup finals were being telecast live for many revelers.
Video of the Kampala Uganda bomb blasts
The Uganda police say at least 13 Ethiopians and one American are among the dead, while six other American citizens are among those severely injured in the bomb blasts. Invisible Children, a San Diego, California-based aid group identified the dead American as one of its workers, Nate Henn, who was killed on the Lugogo rugby field. It was not possible to establish the identities of the dead from both the Ethiopian, Indian and Democratic Republic of Congo in Kampala.
The US Embassy in Kampala Uganda confirmed several Americans from a Pennsylvania church group were among those wounded in the Ethiopian Restaurant located hardly a kilometer from the US Embassy on Ggaba road in Kampala.
No one has publicly come out to claim responsibility for the bomb attacks in Uganda, but the Inspector General of Police in Uganda, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura says the Somali Al-Shabab terrorists are the key suspect. The Islamist militant group linked to Al Qaeda has been warning of attacking Ugandans because more than 2000 Uganda troops are deployed in Somalia as part of the African Union Peace Keeping Mission in Somalia (AMISON) that protects the interim Somali government.
The Chief of Uganda Defense Forces, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima had warned last month that Ugandans organizing events should exercise extra vigilance because terrorist were planning attacks in Uganda.
The Police say they are working with other security organs to investigate the bombs that have once again reminded Ugandans that peace and tranquility is not permanent. Uganda, at least the Southern part has been peaceful with such cases of grenade and bomb blasts last experienced in the 1990s.
Although some Ugandans have renewed their call for the government to withdraw Uganda troops from Somalia as demanded by al Shabab, Gen. Aronda says the Uganda peace keepers will remain in Somalia.
The Uganda government expressed regret on the bomb attacks and called upon nationals and foreigners in Uganda to be calm as the authorities investigate the bomb blasts and institute tighter security measures to ensure no such attacks take place again. The Minister of Information and National Gudance, Princess Kabakumba Masiko descibed the bomb blasts as a national disaster and called for Ugandans to work together to ensure such incidents dont happen again.
President Yoweri Museveni visted the scene of the blasts on Monday and condemned the bombers, whom he called cowards and urged them to target soldiers instead of civilians. He said the government would track down the terrorists and “deal with them”.
His comments were re-echoed by the US President, Barrack Obama who condemned the Kampala bomb blasts, describing them as “deplorable and cowardly”. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Journalists on Sunday that the United States is ready to provide any assistance requested by the Ugandan government to counter such acts of terrorism.
Al-Shabab strongly opposes Ethiopia, which invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust a broad-based Islamist movement that had taken control of a large part of the country. Ethipia left after Ugandan troops under AMISON took over, with Burundi the only country so far to add troops to the volatile country’s peace keeping mission.
Also see
Uganda’s not so peaceful peacekeeping mission in Somalia Ultimate Media on UGPulse.com
Who are the Al-Shabab Al Jazera English
Al- Shabab vows Jihad against new troops – VOA
Somalia’s Al-Shabab recruits ‘holy warriors’ with $400 bonus Christian Science Monitor
