From late October to mid November 2021, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the

Islamic State An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

organization carried out four bombing attacks across

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

Background

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) is an Islamic extremist

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

group originated in Uganda but is based in the nearby

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. The group's insurgency began in 1996; it kills hundreds of civilians every year, mainly by attacking villages. The most deadly ADF attack in Uganda was on 8 June, 1998, when the group attacked the

Uganda Technical College, Kichwamba Uganda Technical College, Kichwamba, also referred to as Kichwamba Technical College, is a government-owned, institution of tertiary education in the field of engineering, offering diploma courses. Location The institute is located approximately ...

in Kabarole District, killing 80 students and abducting about 100. In 1997, another major attack was carried out, when the group threw bombs into taxis and public buildings, killing more than 50 people and wounding about 160 others.Terrorism Profile - Uganda
rivacy International On 11 July, 2010,

suicide bombings A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

were carried out against crowds watching a screening of 2010 FIFA World Cup Final match during the World Cup at two locations in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

. The attacks killed 74 people and wounded 70 more. Al-Shabaab, a

jihadist Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...

Somali terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the attacks as retaliation for Ugandan support for

AMISOM The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implem ...

Attacks in 2021

After 11 years of relative calm, the ADF targeted Uganda in 2021 with the help of Islamic State-linked terrorists. On 1 June, General Katumba Wamala was travelling in a vehicle when four gunmen appeared and opened fire, wounding Wamala and killing his driver and his daughter. A month later, the authorities revealed that the attackers were Islamic extremists who were trained in a jihadist camp in North Kivu, Congo, and had links with the ADF and the Islamic State. On 27 August, the authorities arrested an ADF member for planning a suicide bombing attack at the funeral of a police commander, who was a major figure in the arrest of group's members. Between July and August, at least 25 civilians were killed in

Lwengo Lwengo is a town in Central Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative and commercial center of Lwengo District. It was known as Mbiriizi, prior to 1 July 2010. Location Lwengo is located approximately , by road, west of Masaka, the large ...

and Masaka. The victims were killed in their houses and in the streets by knifemen during the night. While the motive behind the killings and the identities of the perpetrators is not confirmed so far, authorities suspected that ADF terrorists were behind the murders.

October

On 8 October, Islamic State militants bombed a police post in

Kawempe Kawempe is an area in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital. It is also the location of the headquarters of Kawempe Division, one of the five administrative divisions of Kampala. Location Kawempe is located on the northwestern edge of Kampala. ...

. Nobody was injured in the attack. It was the first time that the Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in Uganda. On 14 October, the United Kingdom issued a warning of an imminent terrorist attack, calling on their nationals to be extremely vigilant about their security "especially in crowded and public places like hotels, transport hubs, restaurants and bars, and during major gatherings like sporting or religious events." The Uganda Police Force issued a statement urging the public to keep calm as they "continue to review our security posture across the country which continues to be maintained as normal." The attacks are believed to be a retaliation for the recent round-up by the Ugandan police against persons believed to have links with

Islamic State – Central Africa Province The Central Africa Province (abbreviated IS-CAP, also known as Central Africa Wilayah and Wilayat Wasat Ifriqiya) is an administrative division of the Islamic State (IS), a Salafi jihadist militant group and unrecognised quasi-state. As a result ...

(IS-CAP). Uganda has also openly offered to help Congo fight the group and has maintained that all that is required is greenlight from

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

to deploy to Beni. At 9 p.m. on 23 October, a bomb exploded in a bar in Komamboga, a suburb in

North, Kampala, killing a waitress and injuring three other people. Three men, pretending to be customers, brought the bomb into the restaurant in a polythene bag and left it under a table, leaving before it exploded. On 24 October, the Islamic State claimed responsibility, saying they targeted the establishment because it is frequented by government employees. At 5 p.m. on 25 October, a suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus in Lungala, Mpigi District, carrying 52 passengers. Three people were wounded in the attack. The bus was travelling between Masaka and Kampala. The attacker was the only one who died in the incident. A day later, authorities identified him as a member of the ADF. On 29 October, two children were killed during a bomb explosion at a village in

Nakaseke District Nakaseke District is a district in Central Uganda. It is named after Nakaseke, the largest town in the district. However, the district headquarters are located at Butalangu. Location Nakaseke District is bordered by Nakasongola District to the ...

. The device looked like an exotic “

jackfruit The jackfruit (''Artocarpus heterophyllus''), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, ...

” and was given to the children while they were playing. The victims were a 14-year-old and a disabled child.

November

On 16 November, at around 10:03 a.m., three suicide bombers rocked Kampala in a twin bomb attack within three minutes of each other. The first bomber blew himself up at checkpoint of the Central Police Station (CPS) just opposite Kooki Towers building along Buganda Road, killing two people and injuring several others, including police officers at the entrance of the police station. The explosion shuttered glass windows on the CPS building and the Kooki Tower building. Two other bombers then exploded at Jubilee House along Parliamentary Avenue about 100 meters from the entrance of the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, killing two more people and injuring many others. The people killed were three civilians and one policeman. Thirty-three more were injured, including five in critical conditions. More bombs have been found in other parts of the city. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks. Security forces killed seven suspects and arrested 106 more in connection to the attack days later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uganda bombings, 2021 2021 crimes in Uganda 2021 murders in Africa 2020s building bombings 21st century in Kampala Allied Democratic Forces Attacks on buildings and structures in 2021 Attacks on legislatures Attacks on police stations in the 2020s Attacks on restaurants in Africa Building bombings in Africa Bus bombings in Africa Child murder Crime in Kampala ISIL terrorist incidents in Africa Islamic terrorist incidents in 2021 Murder in Uganda November 2021 crimes in Africa November 2021 events in Africa October 2021 crimes in Africa 2021 disasters in Uganda October 2021 events in Africa Suicide bombings in 2021 Suicide bombings in Uganda Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2021 Terrorist incidents in Uganda in the 2020s Attacks in Africa in 2021 2020s murders in Uganda

Background

Attacks in 2021

October

November

See also

References