Two loud explosions rocked Uganda’s capital, Kampala, on Tuesday, 16 November, sparking chaos and confusion in what is widely believed to be a coordinated attack.
“What we can say is this was an attack but who is responsible is a matter that is under investigation,” Uganda’s assistant inspector general of police Edward Ochom told AFP.
“The explosions took place near the Central Police Station and another took place near the entrance to the Parliament, all in the central business district,” he said, adding that the injured had been taken to hospital.
”The explosion near the police station shattered windows while the one near the entrance to parliament saw cars parked nearby burst into flames, he added.
Kyle Spencer, the executive director of Uganda’s Internet Exchange Point, who heard the blasts, said that the explosions had sparked panic among many people nearby.
“The road to the parliament is closed off, there are people just crying, everyone else is just trying to get away from these areas,” he said.
The Parliament canceled its Tuesday session following the attacks, asking members to avoid the area as security forces are working hard to restore order.
The attacks follow two blasts last month, a bus explosion near Kampala that wounded many people and a bombing at a roadside eatery in the capital that killed one woman.
Police said last month that both attacks were connected and carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). They also warned that extremists were believed to be plotting a major new attack.
The ADF, historically a Ugandan rebel group, has been accused of killing thousands of civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In March the United States officially linked the ADF to the Islamic State group.
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