bombs

So I've been a little incommunicado for the past two days. The night of the world cup there were 3 bombs detonated in Kampala. (Consequently ?) We had intermittent phone service, no power and no internet. Monday midday I went in search of a newspaper and was told that due to breaking news they had been delayed so Soroti wouldn't get them until the following day. Then today I stopped for fuel and was told that there isn't petrol coming from Kampala. However other than the inconveniences we were not really affected. Our team leader Tim was in the city at the time. Here is a little of what he wrote.

Since I was in Kampala, I thought it would be fun to watch the final World Cup match with a few hundred Dutch (along with many other foreigners and Ugandans) at Iguana, a local restaurant. All in all, it was a good time… until we had to be evacuated. 3 bombs went off a few kilometers away at a couple other local restaurants where many foreigners and Ugandans were also watching the game. (For those of you who have been here, the bombings occurred just across from Game & Shoprite at the Kyadondo Rugby Club and on Tank Hill in Kabalagala at the Ethiopian Village Restaurant – places foreigners, including us, frequent.) Apparently, the attack was coordinated by suicide bombers from the Somalian al-Shabab terrorist group who are upset with Uganda for sending more peace-keeping troops into Somalia. The seriousness and danger really didn’t hit me until the next morning when I joined some reporter friends and went to the sites. We praise God that the restaurant we were at was not bombed; however, we ask that you pray for the many injured and the friends and family of the 74+ killed.

You can see pictures he took the morning after at http://sliedrechts.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!94B85C53B78F4A33!8610.entry  A few include the Ugandan president speaking outside one of the bomb sites.
On top of all of that the Karamajong staged another big raid in the north and the son of a high ranking military official was killed yestersay. Today while driving to Kumi I saw a lot of military trucks headed north and military helicopters overhead.


But it all seems short lived as tonight already we have power back and the internet is slow but that isn't unusual. I hate knowing that there are many grieving but I can go right back to life as usual.  And I can even count it a blessing to go right back to life as usual. *Sigh*