Minister Otafire  Warns Public On UK Terror Alert

The minister of internal affairs Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire has told parliament that the government had already established intelligence on the looming terror threat before the government of the United Kingdom issued a warning over the same through a travel advisory issued to its citizens.

Over the weekend, the United Kingdom issued a travel advisory to its citizens against Uganda, citing increased terrorism threats. The terror alert came against an attack on a school in Mpondwe, Kasese district by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels that left at least 43 people dead. In a statement, it says terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Uganda, which could be indiscriminate or against foreign nationals or places frequented by foreign nationals.

Appearing before the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee of Parliament, the Minister of internal affairs Gen Kahinda Otafiire revealed that the government already knew about the terror threat prior to an alert issued by the United Kingdom (UK) government. Gen. Otafiire stated that the terror alert issued by the UK government simply confirmed what government intelligence units had gathered.

Otafiire urged Ugandans to treat the alert with utmost vigilance by reporting any person suspected to be harmful to society. He noted that terrorists have attacked Uganda before and Alerts by the UK government must be treated seriously.

The UK terror alert comes barely a month after the United States government issued a similar alert day before the suspected ADF rebels attacked and killed over 40 people at Lhubiriha Secondary Schools in the Kasese district.

Meanwhile, the meeting which was convened by the defense and internal affairs committee to reconsider the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Bill 2023 that was annulled by the constitutional court; hit a stalemate after it was established that the attorney General had already submitted a notice of appeal to the supreme court, intending to appeal the decision.