Two suspected terrorists were killed in an explosion Tuesday morning near a Roman Catholic shrine in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, but no other injuries were reported, according to authorities.
The blast occurred in the Munyonyo suburb as crowds gathered to celebrate Martyrs’ Day, which commemorates Christians killed for their faith in the 19th century, local media outlets Daily Monitor and New Vision reported.
Army spokesman Chris Magezi said the two suspects were believed to be linked to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant group based in eastern Congo and allied with Islamic State. He said in a statement on X that Uganda’s counter-terrorism unit “intercepted and neutralized two armed terrorists in Munyonyo.”
Magezi added that one of the attackers was a female suicide bomber carrying “powerful explosives.”
Police chief Abas Byakagaba told NBS television that the two suspects were on a motorcycle when the explosion occurred but did not provide further details about their fate. “The good thing though is that there were no people nearby who were injured,” he said.
The ADF, founded by Ugandan Muslims in the 1990s, originally waged war against the Ugandan government before relocating to eastern Congo, where they have been blamed for thousands of civilian deaths, according to the United Nations.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and no group has claimed responsibility for the blast. NBS footage showed a motorbike and debris scattered on a road in the Munyonyo area.