A British tourist and his new South African wife were shot dead in an “ambush” in a Ugandan safari park during honeymoon, The Independent reported.
Police stated that two foreign nationals were holidaying in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in southwestern Uganda accompanied by a local guide when all three were shot dead in a “cowardly” attack on Tuesday.
The names of the newlyweds remain unnamed, while their driver from Uganda has been identified by locals as Eric Alyai. Their car was found burning in a national park.
Ivan Wassaaka, co-owner of the Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris tour company, informed The Independent that the vehicle was “ambushed” between 6pm and 7pm, local time.
It is so sad. He’s very nice, liked by all clients, very knowledgeable – but sadly he’s gone. It’s a very sad day for us.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called the attack 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.” He promised that Ugandan forces would hunt down the perpetrators, stating that the terrorists would “pay with their own wretched lives.”
Police put the blame on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a shadowy insurgent group associated with the Islamic State group. Museveni ordered security agencies to “wipe out” the group.
The ADF began as a rebellion in Uganda but moved into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo since the late 1990s, swearing allegiance to Islamic State four years ago. They have intensified attacks inside Uganda in recent months, including a June raid on a secondary school leaving more than 40 people dead.
In December 2021, Uganda and Congo launched a joint ground and air operation against the ADF in an attempt to eliminate them in eastern Congo.
Uganda claimed it had succeeded in killing more than 560 militants and destroying their camps, but Museveni acknowledged on Wednesday there were “gaps” in the way security services handled the “remnants” of the group, which continued to pose a threat.
The Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the country’s most popular reserves, is located in a remote area of southwestern Uganda near the Congo border. Uganda’s president claimed the tourist vehicle was attacked by “a small group of terrorists running away from our operations in Congo.”
The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has updated its advice for travellers to Uganda, warning against “all but essential travel” to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
If you are currently in the Park, you should follow the advice of local security authorities. If you are able to do so safely, you should consider leaving the area.
