WHO IS BEHIND TERROR ATTACKS IN UGANDA?
By Ignatius Bahizi, East Africa Editor, The African Gazette Two bomb attacks in Uganda happening in a space of 48 hours have re-awakened fear among the citizens and brought back bitter memories of similar attacks that gripped the country in the early 1990s. Another twin attack in 2000 that was claimed by Somalia’s Al-Shabab also shook the country and claimed the biggest number of casualties in recent years.
Following bomb attacks in the outskirts of Kampala in the last two weeks, security is on high alert, police have warned of similar attacks, every citizen is being called upon to be vigilant, and report any suspicious surroundings to the police.
Although the Islamic State (IS) claimed the first attack that took place at a popular eatery claimed one life and injured three others, no group has yet come out to claim the attack on a Passenger bus, which the police confirmed was carried out by a suicide bomber who ended up dying alone.
The suicide bomber, police says, is attached to the Allied Democratic forces (ADF), a radical Muslim group that started fighting the regime of President Museveni in the early 1990s, and has since the 2000s been pushed out of the country.
The group now has operational bases in the jangles of neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and in March this year, the US Department of State designated ADF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization affiliated to the Islamic State (IS).
INCREASED ATTACKS BY ADF IN UGANDA AND DRC
ADF has committed more crimes in the DRC than it has done in Uganda – its home country. According to United Nations, ADF killed over 840 civilians in 2020 alone, and attacks on civilians have continued with killings being reported every day; thousands of civilians have been displaced, and many have crossed into Uganda as refugees.
According to Uganda’s security, those who are exploding bombs in the country belong to ADF’s sleeper sales which were re-activated in the country this year. Uganda’s Police spokesperson Fred Enanga told journalists that the ADF has been recruiting and training for some time, but also a number of them have been arrested while planning to carry out attacks or after executing their missions.
For some years, however, there have been separate attacks on individuals – among them a top government official – a High court prosecutor, a top police officer, a member of parliament, and more recently an attack on the former chief of defense forces, who is now a minister.
All these attacks which were always carried out by people who seemed to be highly trained assassins would take place during day time. The attackers would always trail their victim’s car until they reached a convenient spot, and start spraying the car with bullets. In all the attacks, only the former Chief of Defense Forces Gen. Katumba Wamala survived with bullet wounds.
Before these government officials were targeted by the assassins, several top Muslim clerics were also killed in a similar manner, and the explanation for the gun attacks given by the police was that the Muslim leaders had refused to endorse the activities of the ADF whose aim is to introduce Sharia law in Uganda, once they get power.
The attacks on government officials were also blamed on ADF, however, the police did not explain why those particular officials would be a target of the radical group.
MUSEVENI ISSUES TOUGH WARNING
President Yoweri Museveni has always come out speaking tough against the attackers and promising them, and their backers the wrath of his security forces. Mr. Museveni seems to be fully aware of who is sponsoring the insecurity in his country.
After one of the bomb explosions last week, he tweeted ‘’by foolishly continuing with their criminality, they have invited us to crush them and we shall. With those operating outside Uganda, we shall work with the brother African countries to go for them. Let their supporters, then, not start shouting that we are hunting innocent people.’’
Those familiar with regional politics, and who have been following the relations between Uganda with some of her neighboring countries will automatically know that President Museveni was referring to a neighboring country whose leader has always accused Uganda of arresting innocent citizens of that country living and working in Uganda.
Since 2019, Ugandan security agencies have been arresting dozens of Rwandan citizens living in the country accusing them of espionage, many have been detained others deported. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, and other Rwandan officials have always castigated Uganda accusing it of hunting down innocent Rwandan citizens, and even banned all Rwandans from coming to Uganda, and since then closed their common borders with Uganda since then
GROUND RIPE FOR INSECURITY.
From a Human Security perspective, the majority of young Ugandans are struggling with their livelihoods. Many people can’t find jobs, therefore they lack any income to meet their basic needs. They have been pushed out of the development equation, many have not been to school, while others are school dropouts. This is happening amidst a situation where a small section of Ugandans belonging to the ruling class is basking in opulence.
Persistent poverty has become a challenge to the survival, and dignity of the people of Africa, creating different forms of human insecurity. When people are not able to meet their basic needs and do not envisage a time when their condition is going to change for the better, their hopelessness turns into violence, and this can later take the form of terrorism.
The inequalities which are a result of imbalances in economic opportunities, corruption, and sectarianism in Uganda, and many countries of Africa are breeding anger, resentment, and provide grounds for insurgent groups to recruit members.
Security dynamics have changed over time, and the traditional approach of confronting threats using lenses of international anarchy alone is no longer tenable.
REGIONAL CONCERN:
Acts of terrorism have rung across East African and the Great Lakes region. Kenya has had its fair share in the past few years, and Tanzania, and Burundi have also experienced bomb attacks. The entire region is littered with terrorist cells according to security experts, some based on religious beliefs, while others are purely politically motivated.
The East African Legislative assembly recently observed that the region lacks concerted efforts, and capacity to fight terrorism. The assembly called upon member states to combine efforts in countering the threat of terrorism in the region; however, this may not be tenable as long as some heads of state of member countries can’t meet on the same table because of counter-accusations, and conflicts relating to fighting for influence in the region.
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