President Yoweri Museveni has assured the country that security agencies have embarked on a pursuit mission for the assailants who attacked tourists in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
On Tuesday, unknown terrorists attacked a tourist vehicle in the park killing a South African and British tourist as well as their driver in an incident that happened in Kasese.
In a statement, Museveni described the incident as being unfortunate and infuriating.
“A couple of tourists and the Ugandan driver with them were killed at around 1800hrs on the Katwe- Kabatooro murram road, by a small group of terrorists running away from our operations in Congo, as I had shared with you in a previous message. It was a cowardly act on the part of the terrorists attacking innocent civilians and tragic for the couple who were newlyweds and visiting Uganda on their honeymoon. Of course, these terrorists will pay with their own wretched lives,” Museveni said.
He noted that the security agencies including UPDF, Police, Uganda Wildlife Authority are on the matter to ensure the assailants are brought to book but to also ensure “these mistakes do not happen again and that ADF is wiped out.”
“The wiping out is moving very well. What needs to be done is to ensure that the remnants do not commit these atrocities. “
He explained that whereas UWA rangers guard the tourists once they are in the park, of late, tourists were arriving and departing the parks individually and that it was this gap that the assailants took advantage of.
The president noted that the Ugandan army has been using one form of tracking these fugitive groups from Congo by following their tracks but said more reliable ways of tracking them have been discussed and will be applied.
“The terrorists will be defeated like Kony was defeated and the cattle rustlers that have been killing people in Karamoja and the surrounding districts or those that were cutting People with pangas (bijambiya) in Masaka,” Museveni assured.
The Tuesday incident is an isolated one since it is the first in many years happening in Queen Elizabeth National Park and any other national park in the country.
Uganda Wildlife Authority on Tuesday assured tourists of their security while in the national parks.
UPDF Spokesperson Brig Felix Kulayigye says a manhunt is on for those responsible for the tourist attack in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kasese.
“ADF hoped to divert us from Operation Shujaa. We have sufficient resources to deal with the terrorists, both inside the country and DRC,” Kulaigye said.