Two suspected Islamist terrorists were killed on 3 June as they approached a memorial in the Ugandan capital Kampala where Christians were gathering to remember martyred believers.
The pair were riding a motorcycle close to the Munyonyo Martyrs’ Shrine, commemorating Christians killed for their faith in the nineteenth century, when they were “intercepted and neutralised” by a Ugandan army counter-terrorism unit, said military spokesman Chris Magezi.
One of those killed was a female suicide bomber “laden with powerful explosives,” he added.
Security personnel examine the wreckage of the terrorists’ motorcycle [Image credit: Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium]
It is believed the explosive devices carried by the bomber were detonated during the operation, killing her and the motorcycle driver.
The two terrorists are reported to be linked to Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP – formerly known as the Allied Democratic Forces), which is based in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In 2023, ISCAP carried out a massacre at a Christian boarding school in western Uganda, and attempted to bomb a number of churches in Ugandan cities.
Martyrs’ Day is a national holiday in Uganda and honours 45 Christians killed between 1885 and 1887 for refusing to renounce their faith and revert back to their traditional religion.
It is not clear whether the terrorists’ target was the Munyonyo memorial or the main celebrations in Namugongo, 30km away, which were attended by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni.
How you can pray
Praise the Lord that the terrorists’ plans were thwarted, preventing an even greater loss of life. Pray for the protection of Christians in Uganda from further Islamist attacks.
