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REVENGE: President Yoweri Museveni

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is to send 20,000 troops to Mogadishu in a bid to eliminate the hard-line Islamist group that carried out attacks in Kampala.



Senventy-four people died in last week’s bomb attacks in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Two synchronised bombs exploded as football fans gathered in an Ethiopian-themed bar and a rugby club to watch the match between Spain and the Netherlands on television.



Sheik Muktar Abu Zubayr, the leader of a Somalian group linked with Al-Qaeda has claimed it was behind the twin attacks.



Abu Zubayr has released a statement through an audio message played on Mogadishu radio stations to inform the Uganda's president of more attacks that would be carried out on the country.


The attack was claimed to be in revenge for Uganda's deployment of peacekeepers in Mogadishu with the African Union force, known as AMISOM.



The group has also threatened to attack Burundi.
 

In a statement to the Associated Press news agency Sheikh Yusuf Isse, an al-Shabaab commander in Mogadishu, said, “Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry makes us happy. May Allah's anger be upon those who are against us.”
 
President Museveni is also urging other African countries to join him. About 5,000 African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi are based in Mogadishu to protect the fragile interim government.

Published: 16 July 2010
Issue: 0

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