Monday, July 11, 2011
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President Yoweri Museveni has paid tribute to July 11, 2010 bomb victims urging the international community to take decisive action to end the Somalia tragedy. In statement released Sunday night, the President said Somalia is now a threat to the economies of Eastern Africa and the world.
He made the call in his remembrance statement on the eve of the July 11 al-Shabab twin bombings in Kampala that left 76 people dead and hundreds of others injured.
“As we remember our citizens who lost their lives at the hands of terrorist bombs planted in Kampala, on 11th July, 2011, I send my deepest condolences to their families. I want their families to know that we will never forget this tragic day. We will always mourn for the youth and vigor destroyed by senseless terrorists,” he said.
Ugandans today July 11, mark the first anniversary of the al-shabab twin bombings in Kampala. The memorial service led by the Inter- religious council of Uganda and the Uganda Christian Council is taking place at Kyadondo Rugby Club ground, Lugogo.
“At the same time, I want to appeal to our Somali brothers and sisters to help us so that we help them. We do not have any other interest in Somalia except ideological reasons of Pan-Africanism. We want Africa to be free of all foreign interference; including by these idiots called extremists. Those who died here in Kampala, where there was no war frontline, paid the ultimate price for our country’s commitment to Pan-Africanism. I salute each and every one of them,” he added.
The President said the situation in Somalia has now evolved into a real problem for the whole Eastern Africa and even the world.
“Somalia is the exporter of terrorism in the whole area. The pirates have made shipping to this region very expensive since ships must make huge diversions in vain attempts to avoid the pirates. Therefore, Somalia is now a threat to the economies of Eastern Africa,” he said.
“I do not believe in conserving problems. This Somali problem appears to be a conservation project because of the one dimensional involvement: just involvement by the land forces. Why can we not increase the dimension? Why don’t we use the air? What is the air for? Such a serious problem and we just go on playing with it? On 11th July, the Al- shabab came and killed 76 of our people here, who were watching football. They planted bombs. They have been trying to plant bombs all over the place in East Africa. So why does the international community preserve this? We are ready to solve this problem decisively,” he said.