Feb 23, 2021(Nyamilepedia) —At least six children in South Sudan died and five others injured on Wednesday after an old bomb exploded in the Maji II Refugee Settlement in Uganda’s Adjumani district.
Wilson Manyok, who is the chairperson of the Sudanese Refugees in Northern Uganda confirmed the incident saying that the Wednesday explosion killed four children on the spot. Two others succumbed as they were receiving treatment in Adjumani hospital whereas the rest are recuperating even though they are in critical condition.
The chairperson of the Sudanese Refugees in Northern Uganda said that the children who were aged between 5 and 11 years were playing by the hillside when they found the device and started to play with it.
“Some children in Maji II Refugee Settlement went to play beside the hillside and they found an explosive, started playing with it and cut it with a machete and it exploded,” said Mr. Manyok.
Angucia Josphine , the Superintendent of Police and also Uganda’s West Nile/Northwest Nile Regional police spokesperson observed that the device was likely a remnant of old explosives left by rebels.
This was in the light that Adjumani district had been invaded by the former Lord’s Resistance Army rebel of Joseph Kony and the Uganda National Liberation Front. She added that the police had taken fragments for analysis.
“It is an old bomb, when you look at the fragments, it is really old. Which means they must have been abandoned by the said group of rebels in the 1980’s and early 90’s,” said the superintendent.
SP Angucia was careful to give an assurance that a sensitization exercise has already been rolled out by a joint team of police and other stakeholders to guard against a recurrence of such an incident.
The police identified Joseph Otto, Drago James, Duku Emmanuel, Amaruma Isaac, Edema Thomas and Mandre Justine as the deceased. Wani Jonathan, Abao James, Andruga Dominic, Bazio Joyce and one who is yet to be identified sustained injuries and are still in critical condition.
