In a shocking incident on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels attacked a group of tourists and a Ugandan national in Queen Elizabeth National Park, located in the Kasese District of western Uganda. The assailants opened fire on the victims, leading to the tragic loss of two foreign tourists and a Ugandan, as confirmed by Uganda Police Spokesperson Mr. Fred Enanga.
The victims were traveling in a tour vehicle when the attackers set it ablaze, leaving the victims with no means of escape. In response to the emergency, joint security forces immediately launched a pursuit of the suspected ADF rebels. Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
Tragic images of the victims lying in a pool of blood near the burning tour vehicle circulated on social media, shedding light on the gruesome attack. The incident occurred along Katwe Road, situated between Lake Nyamununka and Kabatooro in the Kasese District.
Regrettably, this is not the first instance of tourists being targeted within Queen Elizabeth National Park. Back on April 2, 2019, American tourist Kimberly Endicott and her guide, Jean-Paul Mirenge, were kidnapped by suspected terrorists in the same park. The government ultimately paid a ransom for their release five days later.
This recent attack follows President Museveni’s announcement that security forces had thwarted a bomb attack on churches planned by the ADF rebel group. The group had crafted two bombs with the intention of planting them in churches in Kibibi and Butambala. Fortunately, the devices were discovered and defused before any harm could be done.
The ADF rebel group has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, and this attack came shortly after Ugandan forces conducted air strikes against ADF positions in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. While the exact number of terrorists killed in the airstrikes remains undisclosed, President Museveni issued a warning about the potential for ADF to carry out further acts of terrorism within Uganda in retaliation.
In a previous incident in June, ADF militia members were responsible for the tragic deaths of 42 individuals, including 37 students, in a high school near the Ugandan-DR Congo border. This incident marked one of the deadliest attacks in Uganda since the 2010 double attack in Kampala, which claimed the lives of 76 people and was attributed to the Somali-based Islamist group al-Shabaab.
A United Nations expert panel on DR Congo confirmed in its June report that ISIS had been providing financial support to the ADF since at least 2019. This further underscores the complex and dangerous nature of the situation.
The recent attack in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a stark reminder of the persistent threat posed by ADF rebels in the region and the urgent need for continued security measures to protect both locals and tourists.
