Once one of the UK’s most prosperous colonies, Uganda achieved independence in 1962. Ten years later, it was suffering through the murderous regime of Idi Amin. Yoweri Museveni took power in 1986 and spent much of the next 20 years contending with the atrocities waged in the north by the Lord’s Resistance Army, elements of which have since melted away into remote corners of the jungle across the border. Museveni remains in power over a stable, and repressed, society that endures restrictions on speech and assembly. A home-grown Islamist rebel movement has taken root in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has emboldened Ugandan radicals to increase pressure on Christians. (Photo: imb.org)
Uganda: Refusal to convert to Islam ends in family tragedy
A Christian woman has been brutally attacked with a machete by her Muslim husband for refusing to convert to his religion, sources told World Watch Monitor. The attack led to the death of the woman’s one-week-old twins. Regina Navatovu, 35, lived with her husband, Asuman Sekidde, in Bumogolo village in […]
Uganda churches opposed to registration plan
Uganda’s government intends to follow Kenya’s lead in demanding the registration of so-called FBOs (Faith-Based Organisations), a plan strongly contested by various Christian denominations. “If what we are doing is good, then why should we be registered? Why should a faith that has been in existence for centuries need an […]
Uganda troops fight Al-Shabaab
As reported in our recent article, Uganda also has troops fighting Al-Shabaab in Somalia. In May, the US Embassy in Kampala warned churches that there was a credible threat against them. Now it appears as if local Muslim extremists may be exploiting regional tensions to attack their neighbours, as Uganda’s […]
Uganda churches warned of Al-Shabaab ‘threats’
Uganda and Kenya authorities have scaled up security in recent days in response to warnings from Western countries that a jihadist group is planning to attack churches in Uganda. The U.S. embassy in Uganda warned that churches there may face “specific threats” from Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based militant Islamist terrorist group. […]
Is Uganda going backwards?
Uganda has passed a law which some fear could lead to the repression of the Church and political opponents. The Public Order Management Bill could undermine basic freedoms of assembly and expression, reports Lapido Media, and has been likened to a decree of former dictator Idi Amin in the 1970s. […]
Doctors try to save remaining eye of Ugandan pastor
While a Ugandan pastor was fighting to retain sight in his remaining eye after an acid attack, Muslim extremists this month were shooting at his close friend, a leader of another church. Doctors at Sheba Hospital in Tel-Aviv, Israel, are still not sure what kind of chemicals Muslim extremists cast […]
Former Muslim extremist in Uganda flees wrath of ex-colleagues
A former member of a Muslim extremist group in Uganda who converted to Christianity is in hiding in Kenya, his movements severely restricted following threats to kill him. Hassan Sharif Lubenga, 54, was a sheikh and member of the Buk Haram, a violent group of Islamists whose name suggests the […]
Convert from Islam in Uganda survives societal hostilities
Hassan Muwanguzi, a convert from Islam in Uganda who lost his family and job because of his Christian faith, is thankful after fighting off the latest attack – an attempt by Muslims to imprison him and shut down the school he started. Following his conversion in his early 20s in […]
Tortured Ugandan girl regaining use of legs
A 15-year-old Christian girl in western Uganda who lost the use of her legs after her father locked her in a room for six months for leaving Islam has begun to take tentative steps. Susan Ithungu of Isango village, Kasese district, had been hospitalized since September 2010 after neighbors along […]
Muslim extremists in Uganda throw acid on bishop
Islamic extremists threw acid on a church leader on Christmas Eve shortly after a seven-day revival at his church, leaving him with severe burns that have blinded one eye and threaten sight in the other. Bishop Umar Mulinde, 37, a sheikh (Islamic teacher) before his conversion to Christianity, was attacked […]