Uganda: Soldier kills 7 women, children at army barracks

KAMPALA, Uganda – A Ugandan soldier shot and killed seven people, all of them women or children, at a barracks in the capital after an apparent domestic dispute, a military official said Thursday.

The attacker was killed in an exchange of fire with other soldiers at the Makindye barracks in Kampala, military police spokesman Capt. Edward Birundi said.

The soldier, identified as Obua Isaac, had intended to kill his wife, who is also a soldier, over an apparent domestic dispute. When he couldn’t find her, he went on a shooting rampage, the spokesman said.

“He had problems with his wife,” Birungi said. “He wanted to kill his wife.”

Four of the victims are women and the rest are children.

Birungi said he believes the soldier may have acted under the influence of marijuana and alcohol.

Violent incidents involving soldiers said to be distressed over domestic issues are common in this East African country.

In 2014, an army private in western Uganda shot and killed 10 people, including five soldiers, following a drunken feud over a woman in a bar.