Africa-Press – Uganda. By now you know that Kampala was hit by a number of explosions yesterday. Police has confirmed that these were domestic terror attacks. Clear details of the impact are likely to be properly ascertained after weeks.
You also know that this is not the first time and we can only hope that it will be the last.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but last month, the Islamic State-aligned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), claimed its first attack in the country. Police authorities attributed the attacks to the group.
In the aftermath of these explosions, some already confirmed by authorities as terror attacks, authorities have vowed that the cause of the explosion would be investigated vigorously and expeditiously. We support such proclamations but we demand that they be followed with action and accountability.
There have been arrests, detention, extrajudicial killings, and judicial processes for some suspects. To their credit, the security forces have tried to communicate and inform the nation of what is happening.
The weight of what all this means for the people who have lost loved ones, those who witnessed the carnage in real time, and their families, the massive squandering of their gifts and possibilities should be seen as a crisis for the Ugandan state, the people that govern it and anyone who cares.
Even if it’s not clear at that moment, we know that the ramifications are going to be significant especially to an already struggling economy, crippled by a lockdown and other measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ugandan security forces and their political supervisors have a duty to investigate what is behind the explosions and whether there are failures, including intelligence failures, by those charged with the responsibility to protect the lives of the people.
The attacks do not discriminate and so community cohesion is essential. Efforts need to focus on tackling the root causes of these crimes whether terrorism or otherwise lurking both at home and abroad. These challenges cannot be solved by simply calling the alleged perpetrators pigs and other such derogatory terms. The people deserve answers and security agencies must do everything within their powers to stop this while observing human rights in other countries.
The gloomy realities of these events should remind us that no one is safe. That security is a collective responsibility, that we must be vigilant. Most importantly, that those in charge of this country are held accountable. That we must ask questions of them, demand answers. As a country and a people, we must never give in to violence, and terrorism.
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