Two arrested over Jinja barracks attack as UPDF vows to retaliate

What you need to know:

  • The army identified the slain soldier as Sgt Simon Peter Eyagu who was strangled and shot while his colleague “had gone to buy some drink”
  •  This is the third attack on security installations in less than a month.

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on Friday said they have arrested two suspects following the death of a soldier in an attack at a security installation in Jinja District in eastern Uganda.
Sgt Simon Peter Eyagu was strangled and shot dead in the Thursday evening attack on soldiers guarding at Ambercourt road close to Gadaffi Barracks Jinja Cantonment, according to UPDF.

Two SMG guns were taken by the assailants but the army said efforts are underway to recover them before vowing the assailants will meet the “necessary retaliation.”
At the time of the 8:50pm attack, the UPDF said in a Friday statement that Sgt Eyagu’s colleague L/Cpl Kibirige Norico with whom he had been deployed to guard a small gate of Ambercourt road, with in the perimeter of Gadaffi barracks, “had gone to buy some drink.”

“The attack on our guards will meet the necessary retaliation. We are working closely with the Ugada Police Force (UPF) and other security agencies to apprehend the criminals. Two suspects have so far been arrested and we have leads to apprehend the entire group,” said Defence spokesperson, Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye.
He urged Jinja residents and Ugandans to remain calm as “these acts of criminality shall be dealt with decisively like we have dealt with many others before.”
 This is the third attack on security installations in less than a month.
The latest attack had hitherto been on November 14, when unknown gunmen riding on a motorcycle opened fire at Kensington Police Post in Kyanja at around 1am, sending police officers and locals into panic.  
 

The Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, said at the time that the gunmen fired two rounds that shuttered the window pane at the police post.
Two weeks earlier, gunmen on the evening of November 1, 2022 killed the officer-in-charge (OC) of investigations alongside a police constable and injured another in an attack on Busiika Police Post in Luweero District.
The injured officer died days after he was admitted at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, blamed the Busiika attack on a rebel outfit called Uganda National Coalition for Change.

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