The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings in Uganda’s capital of Kampala Tuesday.
The blasts that took place near a police station and the nation’s parliament building killed at least three people and wounded more than 30.
Authorities believe the attacks were coordinated by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist rebel group affiliated with ISIS.
CBN News Senior International Correspondent Gary Lane says the Islamic terrorists are fighting to gain control in the region.
“They have wanted it ever since Idi Amin was in power back in the 1970s. He was a Muslim dictator who gave them everything. Access to the government and many different things. They want those days back again,” Lane explains.
Uganda’s current president, Yoweri Museveni, is a Christian and has been in power for 35 years. Lane says these Islamic groups would like to see him out of office so they can take control of the government.
Museveni announced Tuesday that a total of 81 suspects have been arrested in connection with the double blasts.
In a statement, he urged the country be on the alert in the wake of a string of bomb explosions in recent weeks.
“Apart from hunting the terrorists, the country’s strategy of vigilance (alertness), is helping to minimize damage,” Museveni said. “Therefore, the public should maintain vigilance of checking people at entry points to bus parks, hotels, churches, mosques, markets.”
As CBN News has reported, Christians in the nation are being targeted by the terrorist group for their faith.
Muslim extremists in eastern Uganda killed a 58-year-old Christian pastor last month after he refused to close his church which was located near their mosque.
Pastor Stephen Lugwire of Bunangwe estate in the Namutumba District was violently attacked while tending to his sheep.
According to Morning Star News, Lugwire’s daughter was with him and said the men were carrying long knives and blunt objects while shouting, “kafir,” or infidel to her father. His body was found badly wounded with deep cuts in his neck and chest.
Lane says that despite the violence in the nation, the church is growing. “Many people are coming to Christ in Uganda and we need to pray for them…that those new ones will have a strong faith in the Lord and grow in their faith in Christ,” he says.
Lane encourages believers to not just pray for Uganda, but for other “hot spots” of terrorism in Africa, including Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan. He also shares that believers in the area want the U.S. government to help.
“What everyone in the region is telling me is ‘we need the Americans to be engaged and involved in helping us stop this rise of ISIS in Africa’.”
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN