The UK government on Wednesday cautioned its citizens against traveling to a well-visited Ugandan park, following an attack attributed to a notorious militia group, resulting in the tragic deaths of two tourists, including a Briton, and their local guide.
On Tuesday, while on a safari in southwestern Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, the group fell victim to an attack by armed individuals who subsequently set their vehicle ablaze, as reported by the police and park authorities.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office issued an advisory recommending that travel to the park, a popular tourist destination renowned for its tree-climbing lions, be limited to essential purposes only.
“If you are able to do so safely, you should consider leaving the area.”
Uganda’s wildlife authority confirmed the identities of the other two victims as a South African tourist and a local Ugandan guide.
The police attributed the attack to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel militia with ties to the Islamic State group, operating from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“Our joint forces responded immediately upon receiving the information and are aggressively pursuing the suspected ADF rebels,” police spokesman Fred Enanga said.
Queen Elizabeth Park is adjacent to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and shares a border with the renowned Virunga National Park, known for its rare mountain gorillas, and is an area where armed groups are suspected to be active.
In 2019, a U.S. tourist and her safari guide were abducted by four armed individuals while on an evening game drive in the Ugandan park. They were eventually rescued unharmed after a ransom was paid.
The ADF has a historical background as a rebel coalition in Uganda, with a significant faction composed of Muslims who opposed the long-serving President Yoweri Museveni.
Founded in eastern DRC in 1995, the group evolved into one of the most lethal among the numerous banned armed factions in the highly volatile region.
The group has been held responsible for a series of massacres, abductions, and acts of plunder, resulting in an estimated death toll in the thousands.
In June, ADF combatants were responsible for the deaths of 42 individuals, which included 37 students, in a high school located in western Uganda, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to government data, tourism plays a pivotal role in Uganda’s economy, serving as a leading source of foreign exchange and contributing nearly 10 percent to the country’s GDP.
Uganda’s wildlife authorities have announced that, in spite of Tuesday’s attack, all national parks will remain open to visitors.
