July 2010 Kampala attacks

July 2010 Kampala attacks

Map of the two attack locations
Location Kampala, Uganda
Date 11 July 2010
10:25 pm – 11:15 pm, approximately[1] (UTC+3)
Target Crowds watching broadcasts of the FIFA World Cup Final
Attack type
 Suicide bombing
Deaths 74[2][3]
Non-fatal injuries
 70[2][4]
Perpetrators al-Shabaab[5]
Suspected perpetrators
 Allied Democratic Forces, Lord's Resistance Army

The July 2010 Kampala attacks were suicide bombings carried out against crowds watching a screening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final match at two locations in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, on 11 July 2010. The attacks left 74 dead and 70 injured. Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militia based in Somalia that has ties to Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the blasts as retaliation for Ugandan support for AMISOM.[6] In March 2015, the trial of 13 Kenyan, Ugandan and Tanzanian alleged perpetrators of the bombings began at the High Court of Uganda.[7]

Background

The Al-Shabaab militant group grew into a potent force against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and threatened attacks against foreign and AMISOM troops deployed against it in the country, including those from Uganda. The July 2010 attack in Kampala was seen as revenge against the Ugandan forces' presence in Somalia.[8] Al Qaeda was also rumoured to have been involved in Somalia. The Kampala attack followed American warnings of attacks on Air Uganda planes in 2010.[9]

Attacks

The first bombing was carried out at a restaurant called the Ethiopian Village, situated in the Kabalagala neighbourhood, with many of the victims foreigners.[10] Fifteen people died in this attack.[3] The Kabalagala bombing occurred during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final.[11]

The second attack, consisting of two explosions in quick succession, occurred at 11:18 pm at Kyadondo Rugby Club in Nakawa, where state-run newspaper New Vision was hosting a screening of the match.[12] According to eyewitnesses, there was an explosion near the 90th minute of the match, followed seconds later by a second explosion that knocked out the lights at the field.[13] An explosion went off directly in front of a large screen that was showing the telecast from South Africa,[11] killing 49 people.[3] The discovery of a severed head and leg at the rugby field suggests that it was a suicide attack carried out by an individual.[3] A third unexploded vest was later found.[14] A Uganda Police Force officer stated the total death toll as 64.[3] A further 71 were hospitalized, 14 of whom were treated for minor injuries and later discharged.[1]

Uganda Police Force Inspector General Kale Kayihura stated, "The information we have indicates the people who have attacked the Ethiopian Village were probably targeting expatriates."[2]

Initial reports of further blasts in the neighbourhoods of Ntinda and Bwaise were false.[11]

Casualties

Most of the dead were Ugandan. Others included: an Indian,[15] an Irishman,[16] a Lay missionary,[17] one Kenyan was confirmed killed in the attacks, and it was speculated another could have been killed.[18] Additionally, a US citizen was slain.[19] There were also at least six Eritrean and one Ethiopian deaths in the blast.[20][21]

The injured also included six Methodist missionaries from a Pennsylvania church.[6]

Investigation

Ugandan police made arrests in the days following the attack.[14] Another Ugandan was arrested in Kenya over the attacks.[22] Twenty people were arrested, including several Pakistanis, and Interpol also published facial reconstructions of two suspected bombers.[23][24]

Uganda's police said they had come to believe two suicide bombers were part of the attacks. Facial reconstructions of the two suspected suicide bombers suggested one was of Somali origin and the other a black African of unknown origin. "There is strong evidence that these attacks were carried out by suicide bombers." The facial identification were on two bodies which "have remained unclaimed and unidentified."[25]

Three Kenyans — Hussein Hassan Agad, Mohamed Adan Abdow and Idris Magondu — were charged with 76 counts of murder. The Chief Magistrate, however, said they were not allowed to enter a plea because the court does not have jurisdiction to rule on the crime of terrorism. They are due back in court on 27 August, but will not be permitted to plead until the Directorate of Public Prosecutions decides the case is ready to move to the High Court.[26] On 12 August 2010, chief of military intelligence James Mugira stated that all suspects at the time had been arrested.[27] On 18 August 2010, Ugandan officials charged 32 people with murder. John Kagezi, the state attorney, said four of those charged confessed to the attacks. Court Hearings were to start for the Ugandan, Kenyan and Somali nationals on 2 September 2010; though police said continued investigations were ongoing and that more arrests may follow.[28]

Responsibility

Al-Shabaab, one of the groups in the Islamist insurgency in Somalia, has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Wall Street Journal quotes an unnamed al-Shabaab senior leader stating, "We have reached our objective. We killed many Christians in the enemy capital (Kampala)." Reports also allege confirmation from other al-Shabaab militants.[5] This is al-Shabaab's first attack outside of Somalia.[29] On 9 July, al-Shabaab leader Sheikh Mukhtar Robow had called for attacks against Uganda and Burundi. Al-Shabaab leader Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa told Reuters "Uganda is a major infidel country supporting the so-called government of Somalia. We know Uganda is against Islam and so we are very happy at what has happened in Kampala. That is the best news we ever heard."[30] However he refused to confirm or deny responsibility after the attacks, also stating, "Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry, makes us happy. May Allah's anger be upon those who are against us."[3] By 12 July, Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage from Mogadishu stated "We will carry out attacks against our enemy wherever they are ... No one will deter us from performing our Islamic duty."[31] Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, a spokesman for the group saying "Al-Shabab was behind the two blasts in Uganda. We thank the mujahideens that carried out the attack. We are sending a message to Uganda and Burundi, if they do not take out their Amisom troops from Somalia, blasts will continue and it will happen."[32]

Other organisations that had been suspected in the attacks were the Allied Democratic Forces and Lord's Resistance Army, both of which are armed groups operating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[33]

Reactions

Domestic
Supranational bodies
States
An anonymous U.S. government official confided to Jake Tapper of ABC News an administration belief that Al-Qaeda is a "racist organisation" which practices discriminatory techniques and sentiments in the deployment of black African operatives (e.g., only targeting black African recruits for lower-level missions such as suicide bombings) because economic conditions in most African countries supposedly make black Africans more susceptible to recruitment than Arabs.[40]

Trials

In 2011, suspect Edris Nsubuga, aged 31, was sentenced to three concurrent 25-year sentences over his alleged involvement in the Kampala attacks. After expressing regret and indicating that he had taken part in the bombings under threat of decapitation, he was spared the death penalty. Additionally, 24-year-old Muhamoud Mugisha was sentenced to five years imprisonment for conspiring to commit terrorism.[7]

In March 2015, the trial of 13 other men suspected of having been involved in the 2010 Kampala bombings began at the High Court of Uganda. The hearings had been delayed for five years due to court challenges by the apprehended individuals, who accused the Ugandan police and security agencies of torture and illegal rendition. The seven Kenyan, five Ugandan and one Tanzanian alleged perpetrators were each charged with terrorism, murder, attempted murder and of being accessories to terrorism, and all except one were accused of being Al-Shabaab members.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Bomb Blasts in Kampala". Uganda Media Centre, Office of the President of Uganda. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Twin blasts in Uganda capital Kampala kill at least 64". BBC News. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Kron, Josh (12 July 2010). "64 die in bomb attacks in Uganda during World Cup". Associated Press. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  4. ↑ Karimi, Faith (12 July 2010). "Death toll in Uganda bomb attacks at 60". CNN. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bariyo, Nicholas (12 July 2010). "Deadly Blasts Rock Uganda's Capital". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Uganda Blasts: American Killed, Missionaries Hurt". AOL News. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "'Long-overdue' trial of Uganda terror suspects begins". AFP. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Barely 4 years old, Shabaab is Qaida's face in east Africa". The Times Of India. 13 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "US warns of attacks on Air Uganda". BBC News. 9 January 2010.
  10. ↑ "50 die in Kampala bomb blasts". Daily Monitor. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Over 40 die in Kampala bomb blasts". New Vision. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  12. ↑ "33 die in Kampala bomb attacks". New Vision. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  13. ↑ Karimi, Faith (12 July 2010). "Death toll rises to 64 in Uganda twin bombings". CNN. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 English.aljazeera.net. English.aljazeera.net (13 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  15. ↑ Kron, John (12 July 2010). "Bombers Kill More Than 60 in Attacks in Uganda Capital". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  16. ↑ "Irish woman reportedly killed in Uganda blast". RTÉ. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  17. ↑ "Irishwoman killed in Uganda was lay missionary". RTÉ. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  18. ↑ Nation.co.ke. Nation.co.ke (11 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  19. ↑ Chris Reinolds Kozelle (14 July 2010). "American killed in Uganda was dedicated to service". CNN.
  20. ↑ .Voanews.com. Voanews.com (16 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  21. ↑ Gyezaho, Emmanuel; Bagala, Andrew (12 July 2010). "Bomb attacks death toll rises to 64". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  22. ↑ Obeserver.ug. Observer.ug (14 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  23. ↑ Simon, Ben. (18 July 2010) Google.com. Google.com. Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  24. ↑ English.aljazeera.net. English.aljazeera.net (18 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  25. ↑ Almanar.com
  26. ↑ "Three charged in Uganda bombings". Al-Jazeera. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  27. ↑ "All suspects in Kampala bomb attacks 'arrested'". AFP. 12 August 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  28. ↑ English.aljazeera.net. English.aljazeera.net (18 August 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  29. ↑ Godfrey Olukya (11 July 2010). "2 bomb attacks in Uganda; 20 feared dead". The Associated Press (via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  30. ↑ BBC News Al-Shabab 'very happy' about Kampala World Cup blasts12 July 2010
  31. ↑ Al-Shabaab Claim Responsibility for Uganda Blasts By JIM SCIUTTO 12 July 2010. Abcnews.go.com (12 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  32. ↑ English.aljazeera.net. English.aljazeera.net (13 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  33. ↑ "Uganda bomb blasts kill at least 20". The Guardian (UK). 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 English.aljazeera.net. English.aljazeera.net (25 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  35. ↑ English.aljazeera.net. English.aljazeera.net (27 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  36. ↑ Minrel.gov.cl (Tue 14, 9 Jul:55 am ET). "Gobierno condena atentados ocurridos en Uganda". Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ↑ "President of Republic consoles his Ugandan counterpart on victims of Kampala bomb attacks". Sahara Press Service. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  38. ↑ Number10.gov.uk. Number10.gov.uk (12 July 2010). Retrieved on 6 July 2011.
  39. ↑ United States Diplomatic Mission to South Africa (13 July 2010). "Interview of President Obama by South African Broadcasting Corporation". U.S. Department of State.
  40. ↑ Jake Tapper (13 July 2010). "President Obama White House Al Qaeda is Racist". ABC News.

Coordinates: 00°18′49″N 32°34′52″E / 0.31361°N 32.58111°E