Terror in Uganda

Kampala, Uganda…..from Fr. Don Dunson

It was an evening that comes only once in four years. If one was bent on wreaking havoc and terror in a way the whole world might notice, the night of the World Cup Finals was the perfect global stage to act.

Stephen, an employee of St. Kizito Foundation and a dear friend, was at Kyadondo Rugby Club in the heart of Uganda’s sprawling capital city, Kampala. It was one of the many outdoor sites especially prepared for gathering to watch the final match between Spain and The Netherlands.

Suddenly, Stephen was thrown from his seat and hurled across the lawn. Two people seated directly behind him were hurled from their seats into eternity.

It had been a picture perfect last evening for Africa’s first World Cup. There was pride and camaraderie across this continent of over 1 billion people. In an instant the celebration became a nightmare as bombs exploded in two venues where fans had gathered in the thousands. Chaos and fear developed as over 70 lives were claimed, and many more were injured. Many Ugandans immediately suspected Somali involvement in this savage and heinous assault on their fellow countryman and many foreign visitors, including Americans. In Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, early the morning after the attack, Sheik Yusef Issa, commander of the terrorist group al Shabbab, was quoted as saying, “Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry makes us happy.”

Systematically depriving people of hope has been used throughout history, and is still being used in our day, as a political or military weapon. Oftentimes, in lands of abject poverty, political and ideological elites prey on young people who are adrift in a vast sea of hopelessness. Were these bombers among their numbers? What prompts a human being to act with such deadly and seemingly senseless violence? Is it revenge for a perceived grievance? Ugandan soldiers comprise the lion’s share of the African Union’s peacekeeping forces in Somalia, unquestionably one of the most lawless regions of our world. Was this a retaliatory measure by Somali extremists sending the world a message: “Leave us alone?” Was this massive killing of innocent sports spectators some bizarre form of fanaticism that exalts those daring enough to risk everything?

I sense there is also a mendacity of heart that must settle deep inside those willing to kill indiscriminately in order to promote a cause or a belief they hold more sacred and valuable than human life. Such hardness of heart alone can turn people away from their own humanity and toward becoming unfeeling, efficient killing machines. I have been witness to this destruction of human dignity in working with the formerly abducted child soldiers who have escaped the brutality of the LRA rebellion, a guerilla brigade that refreshes its numbers by kidnapping children. Rebel brigades and terrorist groups attempting to indoctrinate fresh recruits must somehow find a way to obliterate the distinctively human attributes of their new members. Sympathy, compassion and a natural proclivity to connect with other persons in jeopardy are actions that belong innately to human beings. These, above all, must be stamped out if a terrorist or new child soldier is to kill on command, or to strap on a bomb and annihilate themselves and as many others as possible.

Our friend, Stephen Ojok, of the Acholi tribe in Uganda, miraculously survived the deadly bomb blast of July 11th. He invited me to his family’s ancestral home in Gulu just two nights after the attack. In the Acholi way of life, if someone has narrowly escaped death he must come back home to his place of birth, consult with the tribesmen, and connect again with his roots. Then a ritual celebration of life ensues. The whole extended family, together with neighbors and friends, all gather around him. This action is meant to build up his soul precisely so the mendacity of heart of the perpetrators of such violence can never find a home in his heart.
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Stephen Ojok was sitting in the front row, by the large screen, when the first bomb exploded. It is believed that the bomb was only about 5 meters from him. Although his head was grazed by schrapnel, God has blessed him and he is now fine. We ask your prayers for him, and for all those who were victims of such inhuman action.

Be assured that we are all safe - we are about 4 hours north of Kampala and nowhere near the site of the bombing.