Two people who the Ugandan army describe as “armed terrorists” were killed in the capital, Kampala, as the country marks Martyrs Day – a Christian celebration to commemorate the faithful who died in the 19th Century.
A counter-terrorism unit “intercepted and neutralized” the two, one of whom was a suicide bomber, in the upmarket suburb of Munyonyo, army spokesperson Chris Magezi said in a post on X.
The incident took place near the Roman Catholic Munyonyo Martyrs’ Shrine, where a small group had gathered to pray, local media reported.
Reports also cited an explosion, with an eyewitness telling Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper that “the explosive detonated midway towards the church”.
There were no other casualties, the Reuters news agency reports.
The army spokesperson did not confirm the blast, but added that the authorities were on “heightened alert”.
One of those killed was a female “suicide bomber laden with powerful explosives”, Col Magezi said.
Footage from Uganda’s NBS Television, showed security and forensics personnel at the scene of the incident, after having sealed off the area.
Col Magezi told Reuters that it was believed the two people were linked to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which has been linked to the Islamic State (IS) group.
The ADF has not yet commented.
Uganda has historically faced threats from the group.
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