REUTERS/Benedicte Desrus
What was a joyous afternoon for millions of football fans around the world became a nightmare for dozens in Kampala. Two bombings resulted in the deaths and injuries of World Cup fans and restaurant patrons in Uganda’s capital city on Sunday.
The blasts ripped through a rugby club and a restaurant and left 74 people dead, including one American, and wounded even more, many of who were watching the World Cup final. The explosions at the rugby club, which claimed the majority of lives, took place just before the match ended.
While people around the world were celebrating the outcome of the final match, Ugandan officials tried to make sense of the terrorism. Many suspect Somali militant groups as the perpetrators of the bombings, though it’s not clear why the targets of the explosions were civilians.
“If you want to fight, why don’t you attack soldiers or military installations instead of fighting innocent people watching football?” said President Yoweri Museveni.