On Sunday, July 11th, two suicide bombings killed at least 64 in Kampala, the capital city. The bombings took place while people were watching the World Cup final. The first blast hit an Ethiopian restaurant located in the south of the city, while the other occurred at a rugby sports club called Lugogo in the east of Kampala. Both places were frequented by foreigners and expatriates living in Kampala. Among the casualties, many people are foreigners; among them, at least one of the dead is reported to be an American citizen. The nationalities of the other victims have not been released.
Even though there has been no claim of responsibility for the attacks, Al-Shabaab, the Somali Islamist group which claims to have links to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for the bombings. Over the past years, Somali militants have been involved in terror attacks across East Africa. Few weeks ago, Al-Shabaab militant group threatened to strike Uganda's capital Kampala and Burundi's capital Bujumbura because both states contribute troops as part of an African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia known as AMISOM.
Several embassies warn their citizens against all travel in different parts of the country (i.e. northern and western parts of Uganda). As there is an underlying threat from terrorism throughout the country, it is recommended to maintain a low profile and to exercise caution.
