Soldier kills 7 in Uganda barracks rampage
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces spokesman Col. Paddy Ankunda. FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
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Col Ankunda said in a tweet: "Sad moment#Sgt Obua Isaac of military police Makindye has just gone bonkers# killed seven people All of the killed are women and children, one child injured Sgt Obua Isaac, the killer himself has been Put out of Action".
Kampala. (NMG) At least seven people were killed Thursday in a shootout inside the Makindye Military Police barracks, just outside Uganda's capital Kampala.
The barracks, which house an elite unit of the army, was sealed off.
Confirming the incident, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces spokesman, Col. Paddy Ankunda, said most of the dead were civilian women and children of the soldiers in the barracks.
The motive of the shooting spree was still unknown.
Col Ankunda said in a tweet: "Sad moment#Sgt Obua Isaac of military police Makindye has just gone bonkers# killed seven people All of the killed are women and children, one child injured Sgt Obua Isaac, the killer himself has been Put out of Action".
Mass arrests
The incident, though not the first rampage killing spree by a soldier, happened at a time when Uganda was experiencing high security tensions following mass arrests of soldiers and politicians allegedly involved in subversive activities.
At least 30 soldiers were arrested about two weeks ago in the Kyengera suburb over alleged treasonable acts. The commandant of the Airbase garrison at Entebbe, Captain Dan Opito Odwee, was arrested last week for allegedly plotting a coup and other treasonable acts.
Captain Odwee’s followed the arrest of opposition politician Michael Kabaziguruka on June 8 for, among other charges, a plot to assassinate President Yoweri Museveni.
Similar charges
Another politician, Mr Dan Oola Odiya, was also arrested on June 8 in Gulu in the north on similar charges.
On Sunday, a shootout at the Gulu Central Police Station left a policeman and a soldier dead in what authorities claim was a thwarted attempt by Mr Oola’s supporters to rescue him from the police cells.
Mr Oola has since been charged with treason offences.
Main challenger
Meanwhile, the main opposition politician and former presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, has been in jail since May 11 on treason charges.
Dr Besigye was the main challenger to President Museveni, emerging a strong second with some 3.5 million votes against the latter's 5.9 million.
Tensions have been raising since the opposition rejected the results of the February 18 polls and called for a campaign of defiance.
President Museveni’s swearing in on May 12 and the establishment of his new government were yet to see the country move on after the electioneering period.
