Tag: Uganda

Categories
Africa News

Over 40 killed by rebels in Uganda school attack

Uganda, military

Enang said many of the bodies were transferred to the Bwera Hospital, where the critically injured persons are also undergoing treatment…reports Asian Lite News

At least 40 people, mostly students, were killed and eight others critically injured after militants linked to Daesh terror group attacked a school in Uganda located near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), police said on Saturday.

The attack took place at around 11.30 p.m. on Friday night at the Lhubiriha secondary school in Mpondwe, during which a dormitory was burnt and a food store was looted, reports the BBC.

In a statement, the police said the attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) — a DRC-based Ugandan rebel group which is a branch of the IS in Central Africa.

Police spokesperson Fred Enang said the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the police are currently carrying out a search operation for the group who fled towards Virunga National park in the DRC after the attack.

The army has also deployed planes to help track the rebel group.

Enang said many of the bodies were transferred to the Bwera Hospital, where the critically injured persons are also undergoing treatment.

“We do offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who have been killed, and offer our prayers and thoughts to those who have been wounded,” he said, noting that more details will be availed in due course.

Meanwhile, Major General Dick Olum from the Ugandan army told the media that some of the male students were burnt or hacked to death, the BBC reported.

Others at the school, mostly girls, have been abducted by the group, he added.

Some of the bodies are said to have been badly burnt and DNA tests will need to be carried out to identify them.

The latest incident comes a week after suspected ADF fighters attacked a village in the DRC near the Ugandan border.

Over 100 villagers fled to Uganda but have since returned.

The attack on the school, located less than 2 km from the DRC border, is the first in 25 years.

In June 1998, 80 students were burnt to death in their dormitories in an ADF attack on Kichwamba Technical Institute near the border of DRC.

More than 100 students were abducted.

The ADF was created in eastern Uganda in the 1990s and took up arms against long-serving President Yoweri Museveni, reports the BBC. After its defeat by the Ugandan army in 2001, it relocated to North Kivu province in the DRC.

The group’s principal founder, Jamil Makulu, was arrested in Tanzania in 2015 and is in custody in a Ugandan prison. ADF rebels have been operating from inside the DRC for the past two decades.

In 2021, suicide bombings in Uganda’s capital Kampala and other parts of the country were blamed on the ADF.

ALSO READ-Uganda school attack: 40 killed by IS-linked militants

Categories
-Top News Africa News Crime

Uganda school attack: 40 killed by IS-linked militants

The police said the attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) — a DRC-based Ugandan rebel group which is a branch of the IS in Central Africa, reports Asian Lite News

At least 40 people, mostly students, were killed and eight others critically injured after militants linked to the Islamic State terror group attacked a school in Uganda located near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), police said on Saturday.

The attack took place at around 11.30 p.m. on Friday night at the Lhubiriha secondary school in Mpondwe, during which a dormitory was burnt and a food store was looted, reports the BBC.

In a statement, the police said the attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) — a DRC-based Ugandan rebel group which is a branch of the IS in Central Africa.

Police spokesperson Fred Enang said the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the police are currently carrying out a search operation for the group who fled towards Virunga National park in the DRC after the attack.

The army has also deployed planes to help track the rebel group.

Enang said many of the bodies were transferred to the Bwera Hospital, where the critically injured persons are also undergoing treatment.

“We do offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who have been killed, and offer our prayers and thoughts to those who have been wounded,” he said, noting that more details will be availed in due course.

Meanwhile, Major General Dick Olum from the Ugandan army told the media that some of the male students were burnt or hacked to death, the BBC reported.

Others at the school, mostly girls, have been abducted by the group, he added.

Some of the bodies are said to have been badly burnt and DNA tests will need to be carried out to identify them.

The latest incident comes a week after suspected ADF fighters attacked a village in the DRC near the Ugandan border.

Over 100 villagers fled to Uganda but have since returned.

The attack on the school, located less than 2 km from the DRC border, is the first in 25 years.

In June 1998, 80 students were burnt to death in their dormitories in an ADF attack on Kichwamba Technical Institute near the border of DRC.

More than 100 students were abducted.

The ADF was created in eastern Uganda in the 1990s and took up arms against long-serving President Yoweri Museveni, reports the BBC.

After its defeat by the Ugandan army in 2001, it relocated to North Kivu province in the DRC.

The group’s principal founder, Jamil Makulu, was arrested in Tanzania in 2015 and is in custody in a Ugandan prison.

ADF rebels have been operating from inside the DRC for the past two decades.

In 2021, suicide bombings in Uganda’s capital Kampala and other parts of the country were blamed on the ADF.

ALSO READ: US mulls visa curbs over Uganda’s anti-gay law

Categories
-Top News Africa News USA

US mulls visa curbs over Uganda’s anti-gay law

President Joe Biden.(photo:Instagram)

President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni has signed a new law, one of the world’s toughest anti-homosexuality measures, drawing widspread criticism from within the country and internationally….reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden on Monday slammed Uganda president Yoweri Museveni for signing a new anti-homosexuality law, and called it a “tragic violation of universal human rights”. US President Biden also demanded for its immediate repeal.

Biden said that no one should have to live in fear for life or being subjected to violence and discrimination. President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni has signed a new law which mandates a 20-year term for “promoting” homosexuality and also prescribes for death penalty for certain behaviour including engaging in gay sex when HIV positive.

“The enactment of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act is a tragic violation of universal human rights – one that is not worthy of the Ugandan people, and one that jeopardises the prospects of critical economic growth for the entire country. I join with people around the world – including many in Uganda – in calling for its immediate repeal. No one should have to live in constant fear for their life or being subjected to violence and discrimination. It is wrong,” Biden said in an official statement.

Biden also said that ever since the Anti-Homosexuality Act was introduced, reports of violence and discrimination targeting Ugandans who are or are perceived to be LGBTQI+ are increasing.

The US president also said that this shameful Act is the latest development in Uganda’s alarming human rights abuses and corruption trend. The dangers posed by this democratic backsliding are a threat to everyone residing in Uganda, including the US government personnel, the staff of our implementing partners, tourists, members of the business community and others.

Biden also said that he has directed the US National Security Council to evaluate the implication of this law on all aspects of US engagement with Uganda, including our ability to safely deliver services under the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other forms of assistance and investments, according to an official statement of White House.

Uganda’s Speaker of Parliament Anita Among in a post Twitter on Monday said, “I now encourage the duty bearers under the law to execute the mandate bestowed upon them in the Anti-Homosexuality Act.”

“The People of Uganda have spoken, and it is your duty to now enforce the law in a fair, steadfast, and firm manner,” she said.

Same-sex relationships are prohibited in more than 30 African nations, including Uganda, but the new law goes considerably further in its discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons, as per Al Jazeera.

The approval of the law comes despite opposition from Western governments, businesses, and human rights activists, Al Jazeera reported.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 was one of six pieces of legislation that Museveni’s office confirmed the president signed into law on Sunday.

US mulls visa restrictions

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said United States would consider visa restrictions against Ugandan officials and others for the abuse of human rights following the implementation of the anti-gay law.

“Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) threatens the lives of its people as well as the country’s prosperity. The United States urges the immediate repeal of the AHA to protect the human rights of all Ugandans,” Blinken said.

He said Uganda’s failure to safeguard the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons is part of a broader degradation of human rights protections that puts Ugandan citizens at risk and damages the country’s reputation as a destination for investment, development, tourism, and refugees.

He said the State Department will develop mechanisms to support the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals in Uganda and to promote accountability for Ugandan officials and other individuals responsible for, or complicit in, abusing their human rights.

“I have also directed the Department to update our travel guidance to American citizens and to U.S. businesses as well as to consider deploying existing visa restrictions tools against Ugandan officials and other individuals for abuse of universal human rights, including the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons,” Blinken stated. (with inputs from ANI)

ALSO READ: Indian student shot dead in US

Categories
-Top News Africa News India News

India will take our issues to G20: Uganda

Ugandan High Commissioner Kikafunda expressed her views on India’s presidency of G20 and believes New Delhi can be the voice of Global South…writes Sahil Pandey

High Commissioner of Uganda to India Joyce Kakuramatsi Kikafunda on Saturday termed the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to her country as beautiful and also said that India is going to be the voice of the Global South and it will bring her country’s issues to the G20.

Ugandan High Commissioner Kikafunda expressed her views on India’s presidency of G20 and believes New Delhi can be the voice of Global South.

“We believe that they (India) are going to be the voice of the South. India is already going to be a superpower. So we believe they (India) know our issues and they will bring them up and they are ahead of some big countries who have forgotten how it was. But we believe India will bring our voices, our issues or problems to the G20,” the Ugandan envoy elaborated.

Reflecting on Jaishankar’s visit, the Ugandan envoy told ANI, “The visit was beautiful. I actually accompanied him on that visit. Jaishankar had a beautiful visit. Our President doesn’t meet other ministers, he meets heads of state, but because of the relationship between Uganda and India, he met the visiting minister. India Opened the University of Forensic Sciences in Uganda for the first time ever outside India and the first one in Africa. So we are very proud and happy about it. It was a very good visit. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was very happy. And the minister left very happy and said that he loved Uganda and he will come back.”

Notably, EAM Jaishankar was on a visit to Uganda and Mozambique from April 10-15 to further strengthen India’s “strong bilateral relations” with the two countries.

She also spoke on the bilateral relationship between India and Uganda, “Our bilateral relationships are very good and strong, and they are focused on trade and investment,” Kikafunda added.

The envoy also mentioned that Uganda sees India as an elder brother and wants the relationship to continue along with development assistance.

“We don’t want just to trade, we want India to come and manufacture products in Uganda. We want the relationship to continue, also the development assistance, because we take India as our elder brother,” she added.

Kikafunda was participating in a women entrepreneurs conference hosted by Baroness Verma (Member of the House of Lords of the UK) on Saturday. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Jaishankar rides ‘Made in India’ train in Mozambique

Categories
-Top News Africa News India News

Jaishankar pays homage to Mahatma in Uganda’s Jinja

EAM Jaishankar is on a visit to Uganda and Mozambique from April 10-15 to further strengthen India’s “strong bilateral relations” with the two countries….reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi in Uganda’s Jinja, at the source of the Nile river.

Jinja is a town in southern Uganda, on the shore of Lake Victoria. The source of the Nile, at Coronation Park, is marked by a garden and a monument honouring British explorer John Hanning Speke.

“Honoured to pay homage to Bapu, the apostle of peace and non-violence, in Jinja at the source of the Nile,” Jaishankar tweeted on Wednesday.

“Gandhiji’s ashes, immersed in the Nile, reflects the universality of his message. And also his deep and abiding bond with Africa,” the EAM further wrote.

EAM Jaishankar is on a visit to Uganda and Mozambique from April 10-15 to further strengthen India’s “strong bilateral relations” with the two countries.

Marking a milestone in Indian-Uganda bilateral cooperation, Jaishankar inaugurated the first foreign campus of India’s National Forensic Sciences University in Jinja, Uganda on Wednesday.

“A personal vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, its international footprint is a matter of particular satisfaction,” Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar also highlighted that this was a proud day for India, a proud day for Uganda and for the India-Uganda relationship. The inauguration of NFSU’s Uganda campus is an example of practical cooperation between the two nations, he added.

Mentioning the courses offered by this university – Forensic Sciences in behavioural sciences, cyber security, digital forensics and allied sciences – Jaishakar said that he was confident that these courses will be in high demand and will bring immense benefits to all the stakeholders in Uganda and in Africa.

In his remarks at the inauguration of the NFSU in Uganda, Jaishankar said, “India’s National Forensic Sciences University is opening its campus in Uganda, partnering with the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces. This is the first foreign campus of the National Forensic Sciences University. Even more important, it is actually the first government University of India opening a campus anywhere abroad in the world.”

Jaishankar on Monday met Uganda’s President Yoweri K Museveni at his farm in Rwakitura and congratulated the country on assuming the chairship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

“Privileged to call on President @KagutaMuseveni of Uganda at his farm in Rwakitura. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. Appreciated his guidance on furthering our traditional and long-standing ties,” Jaishankar tweeted.

He also discussed cooperation in trade and investment, infrastructure, energy, defence, health, digital and agricultural domains.

“Discussed cooperation in trade & investment, infrastructure, energy, defence, health, digital and agricultural domains. Congratulated Uganda on assuming the chairship of the NAM and affirmed our strong coordination at multilateral forums including the United Nations,” the EAM tweeted. (ANI)

ALSO READ: India to put across concerns of Global South at G20, says Jaishankar

Categories
-Top News Africa News India News

Jaishankar congratulates Uganda on assuming NAM chairship

Uganda was endorsed to chair the Non-Aligned Movement on behalf of Africa for the period from 2022 to 2025…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who is on a three-day visit to Uganda met President Yoweri K Museveni on Monday at his farm in Rwakitura and congratulated the country on assuming the chairship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

“Privileged to call on President @KagutaMuseveni of Uganda at his farm in Rwakitura. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. Appreciated his guidance on furthering our traditional and long-standing ties,” tweeted Jaishankar. He also discussed cooperation in trade and investment, infrastructure, energy, defense, health, digital and agricultural domains.

“Discussed cooperation in trade & investment, infrastructure, energy, defense, health, digital and agricultural domains. Congratulated Uganda on assuming the chairship of the NAM and affirmed our strong coordination at multilateral forums including the United Nations,” tweeted Jaishankar.

Uganda was endorsed to chair the Non-Aligned Movement on behalf of Africa for the period from 2022 to 2025.

The NAM chair position rotates every three years during summit conferences. The chair of the movement is assisted by both the former and incoming chairs. According to the movement, this structure represents its past, present and future.

Azerbaijan chaired the NAM for the period between 2019 to 2022 having taken over from Venezuela.

The Non-Aligned Movement was formed in 1961 during the end of the colonial system and the independence struggles globally and at the height of the Cold War.

The NAM is composed of 120 member states from the developing world and is the largest forum for political coordination and consultation after and within the United Nations.

It is a forum not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

Jaishankar arrived in Uganda for a 3-day diplomatic visit on Monday afternoon. On his arrival, the EAM was received by Foreign Minister General Jeje Odongo and Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Vincent Ssempijja.

During his visit to Uganda, Jaishankar will have delegation-level talks with his Ugandan counterpart as both sides will look forward to enhancing bilateral ties between the two nations.

Jaishankar took to Twitter and wrote, “Arrived in Uganda this afternoon. Glad to be received by Foreign Minister General Jeje Odongo and Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Vincent Ssempijja.”

“Look forward to productive discussions to take forward South-South cooperation,” the tweet read further.

During the visit from April 10-12, he is expected to hold talks with Ugandan counterpart General Jeje Odongo and call on the leadership of the country and meet other Ministers, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official release on Sunday.

During the visit, Jaishankar will inaugurate the transit campus of the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Jinja. A bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Uganda on setting up of the first-ever campus of NFSU outside India is likely to be signed during the visit, the press release said.

Jaishankar will also attend the ground-breaking ceremony of a solar-powered water supply project in Uganda. He will also address the trade and business community of Uganda and have an interaction with the Indian diaspora, according to an MEA press release.

From April 13-15, Jaishankar will visit Mozambique. “This will be the first-ever visit by an External Affairs Minister of India to the Republic of Mozambique,” according to the MEA release.

During the visit, he will meet Mozambique’s top leadership and co-chair the 5th Session of the Joint Commission Meeting with Mozambican Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo.

The EAM is expected to meet several other Ministers and representatives of the Assembly of Mozambique. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Jaishankar due in Uganda, Mozambique

Categories
-Top News Africa News

Jaishankar due in Uganda, Mozambique

During the visit, he will meet Mozambique’s top leadership and co-chair the 5th Session of the Joint Commission Meeting with Mozambican Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be on Uganda and Mozambique visit from April 10-15 to further strengthen India’s “strong bilateral relations” with the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Sunday.

The EAM will visit Uganda from April 10-12. During the visit, he is expected to hold delegation-level talks with his Ugandan counterpart General Jeje Odongo and call on the leadership of the country and meet other Ministers, the statement said. During the visit, Jaishankar will inaugurate the transit campus of the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Jinja. A bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the India and Uganda on setting up of the first-ever campus of NFSU outside India is likely to be signed during the visit, it said.

Jaishankar will also attend the ground-breaking ceremony of a solar-powered water supply project in Uganda. He will also address the trade and business community of Uganda and have an interaction with the Indian diaspora, according to MEA press release.

While from April 13-15, Jaishankar will visit Mozambique. “This will be the first-ever visit by an External Affairs Minister of India to the Republic of Mozambique,” the MEA noted.

During the visit, he will meet Mozambique’s top leadership and co-chair the 5th Session of the Joint Commission Meeting with Mozambican Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo.

The EAM is expected to meet several other Ministers and representatives of the Assembly of Mozambique. He will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Mozambique, the MEA added.

$2 million to ATMIS

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj on Friday handed over the contribution of USD 2 million to the United Nations Trust Fund in support of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), reiterating New Delhi’s commitment to peace and stability in Somalia and the Horn of Africa.

Earlier, India had contributed USD 4 million to African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). India’s Permanent Mission to the UN noted in a press release, “India recognizes the important role being played by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in providing an enabling security environment in Somalia, and in containing the terrorism perpetrated by Al-Shabaab.” Permanent Mission of India to the UN in a tweet stated, “Today, on behalf of the Government of #India, Ambassador @ruchirakamboj handed over a cheque of US$ 2 million in favour of the @_AfricanUnion Mission in Somalia. India stands committed to building peace and stability in Africa.”

According to the release, India as an elected member of the UN Security Council has engaged constructively to ensure the smooth transition from African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to ATMIS in line with the security requirements of Somalia.

India stressed that the timely and phased handover of security responsibilities from ATMIS to the Somali Security forces will be important and will need to be calibrated to avert security gaps. India also lauded the ATMIS troops and police contributing countries for their sustained commitment and the sacrifices they have made over the years.

India’s Permanent Mission to the UN stated further that New Delhi was a “steadfast supporter” of AMISOM and involved in peacekeeping in Somalia for more than 30 years. Furthermore, it said, India continues to support African Union and the UN in responding to terrorism and building peace and stability in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa.

Also, in the release, India’s Permanent Mission to the UN said, “ATMIS was established on 1 April 2022 pursuant to the Security Council resolution 2628 (2022) and African Union Peace and Security Council Communique 1068th of 8 March 2022 to support the implementation of the Somali Transitional Plan towards a full handover of security responsibility to the Somali security forces and institutions by the end 2024.” It further said that the primary role of ATMIS is to reduce the threat posed by the terrorist group Al-Shabaad. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Jaishankar joins Iftar hosted by UAE Ambassador Alshaali

Categories
Africa News

Uganda heightens security in national parks after fatal incident

This move came after a ranger and a poacher were on December 5 killed in a gunfire exchange in the Kidepo Valley National Park, in the northeastern part of Uganda, neighbouring South Sudan…reports Asian Lite News

Uganda has said that it has heightened security in all its national parks following a fatal incident where a ranger was killed by armed poachers.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), a state-run agency charged with wildlife conservation, said on Thursday in a statement that it has deployed additional personnel at strategic locations in all protected areas to ensure the safety of both humans and wildlife.

This move came after a ranger and a poacher were on December 5 killed in a gunfire exchange in the Kidepo Valley National Park, in the northeastern part of Uganda, neighbouring South Sudan.

“Our parks are safe, as has always been the case, but we don’t want to take any chances. As a precautionary measure, we are heightening security measures in all protected areas to ensure the safety of our visitors,” UWA Executive Director Sam Mwandha said.

The incident happened as the country is moving into the festive season when visitors to national parks are expected to increase, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tourism is one of Uganda’s major foreign exchange earners. The country used to earn more than $1.6 billion from the tourism sector annually before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to government figures.

The country’s tourism earnings in 2020 dropped to $0.5 billion due to the pandemic, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

ALSO READ-India, Uganda review entire spectrum of bilateral ties

Categories
-Top News Africa News India News

Ugandan Prez Iauds Indian community on making 100 years in Uganda

Indians are estimated to have invested over US$ one billion in Uganda in the last two decades, according to the Indian High Commission in Kampala…reports Asian Lite News

Congratulating the Indian community for marking 100 years in the country, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni urged them to invest more in various sectors, including fertiliser production.

“I congratulate the Indian community on making 100 years in Uganda,” Museveni said in a video message posted on his Twitter handle.

“We the NRM consider the Indians as wealth creators with whom we have a symbiotic relationship. They are our brothers and sisters, they are Ugandans as well,” Museveni said on Sunday.

Led by the President, the NRM (National Resistance Movement) is the main ruling party in Uganda.

Indians are estimated to have invested over US$ one billion in Uganda in the last two decades, according to the Indian High Commission in Kampala.

Asserting that Uganda is “peaceful, pleasant and ready for investment”, Museveni called on the Indian diaspora to “invest in untapped areas like fertilisers which have become expensive as a result of the Russia-Ukraine standoff”.

“They… have a genuine interest in the development and transformation of this country,” he said on Twitter.

Hosting the Afro-Indian Investment Summit at the Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort in Kampala last week, the President said that the expulsion of Asians in 1972 by dictator Idi Amin disturbed the ties between Uganda and India.

At a special Diwali dinner party organised for the Indian community earlier this month, Museveni lauded the Gujarati community for playing a crucial role in Uganda’s social and industrial development from the past many decades.

“Only (Idi) Amin saw them as a problem, and he didn’t value the wealth creation chain,” Museveni had said.

There were nearly 80,000 Indians in Uganda before the 1972 expulsion.

At present, approximately 35,000 Indians live in Uganda.

They constitute less than a percent of Uganda’s population, but contribute a major part of the country’s direct taxes, according to the Indian High Commission in Kampala.

The Indian diaspora is mainly concentrated in Kampala and in the town of Jinja, and plays a pivotal role in manufacturing, trade, agro-processing, banking, sugar, real estate, hotels, tourism and information technology sectors.

ALSO READ-‘COP28 will be the UAE’s most important event in 2023’

Categories
Africa News

Ugandan President rules out Ebola lock down

Medical workers perform disinfection for a demarcated Ebola treatment center at the Mubende Regional Hospital in Mubende District, Uganda, Sept. 21, 2022. (Photo by Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua/IANS)

Some health experts were calling for a lockdown of the Ugandan capital of Kampala to contain the spread of the disease…reports Asian Lite News

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has ruled out an Ebola lockdown, urging the public to concentrate on work despite the ongoing outbreak.

“People should go ahead and concentrate on their work without worry,” Museveni said in a tweet.

The President, however, said the public should be more vigilant and observe the standard operating procedures put in place to control the Ebola spread.

Some health experts were calling for a lockdown of the Ugandan capital of Kampala to contain the spread of the disease.

The World Health Organization this week called for international support for Uganda to contain the spread of Ebola.

Figures from Uganda’s Ministry of Health show that as of October 26, the country had registered 115 confirmed cases and 32 deaths since the outbreak was announced on September 20.

The figures also show that 2,168 people are listed for follow-up because they are contacts to confirmed Ebola cases.

ALSO READ-Climate change accelerating conflicts in Africa