Masaka terror: Police arrest 38 as panga attacks rage on

Shock continues to grip residents of Masaka Sub-region as machete-wielding thugs again attacked another village on Thursday night, killing one person.

Masaka Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Fred Bamwine told a press conference yesterday morning that a total of 38 suspects had been arrested over the attacks.

Police identified the victim as Madi Mulindwa, 47, a resident of Kisaaka Village, Kimaanya –Kabonera Municipality, Masaka City. Kisaaka Village is at the border of Masaka –Lwengo and Bukomansimbi districts, which is the epicenter of the deadly night attacks.

Eyewitness say Mulindwa was killed at his new house, which is still under construction, before the thugs pounced on Mr Jimmy Ssemanda, 24, as he headed to Kisaaka Trading Centre. The incident occurred at 10pm.

“I was carrying a solar battery on my shoulder from my father’s place to Kisaaka Trading Centre where I sleep at around 10pm. The thugs came from behind and hit me with a big stick,” Mr Ssemanda, a survivor, told Saturday Monitor.

Mr Ssemanda said the stick hit the battery, splitting it into pieces.

“That’s how I survived, although I sustained some injuries on the head.”

Ssemanda was rushed to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital by neighbours.

He was reported to be steadily improving.

Mr Robert Mukasa, a neighbour of the deceased, said the killers descended on the village at about 10pm, before attacking the duo.

“No one knows the motive of these killers, some of our people are running away to other districts because the security situation here is worsening every day, and we don’t see the presence of security officers as government claims,” he said.

A source within security circles in Masaka said some clues point to Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) remnants, who could be behind the current heinous acts.

“But we are still carrying out further investigations,” the security source said.

The Thursday night incident came a day after assailants killed Peter Mayanja, alias Yeye, 35, and Annet Nampijja,70, at Kasaali Village and Bisanje –Kanyogoga Village respectively, both located in Kimaanya - Kabonera constituency  in Masaka City.

The southern regional police spokesperson, Mr Muhammad Nsubuga, confirmed the latest incident, saying investigations have already started.

“We received information [about the attack] at around 11pm and rushed to the scene and investigations are underway,” he said.  

Mr Nsubuga asked the public to be alert and continue giving information to police so that the assailants are nipped in the bud.

A Saturday Monitor tally shows that 21 people have been hacked to death by machete-wielding thugs since July 22 when the dreaded gang re-launched   night attacks on residents’ homes  in Masaka sub-region .

During the press conference yesterday, Mr Bamwine said out of the 21 deaths, 14 have been recorded in Lwengo and seven in Masaka City.