Kirk Franklin and U.S. Ministry Team Involved in Riots in Kampala, Uganda
Kirk Franklin photo from press kit
Gospel artist Kirk Franklin has announced on his Twitter page that he and his ministry team were involved in a "situation" in Kampala, Uganda a few hours ago by posting, "soldiers...we're in a lil' situation over here in Uganda. please pray for me and my team. I'll post a video blog about it later.."
Kirk Franklin Describes Deadly Riots in His Own Words
The "situation" turned out to be a deadly riot which became a war zone complete with shootings, tear gas, tire burnings, rock throwing, and other violence.
According to Kirk Franklin via YouTube, his team of musicians left a luncheon at the home of Uganda's Vice-President, Gilbert Bukenya about ten minutes before Franklin, who was still greeting people. Franklin was on his way back to the hotel with some of his team in a second bus on their way into the city of Kampala where he had previously ministered in May of 2008.
Signs of Smoke Near Kampala
As they were approaching Kampala, Franklin says he could see smoke in the distance like something was burning, but he didn't think much about it until they got closer into the city. There Franklin's bus was flagged over to the side of the road by the bus that carried his team which was now heading away from Kampala.
Gunshots and Rioting Reported in Kampala
One of the security people from the other bus got on Franklin's bus to tell him there were guerilla soldiers shooting people as they came closer into town. Horrified, the ministry team made a u-turn and headed away from their hotel. Franklin and crew went to the police headquarters in the small town where they had been earlier. However, the rioting, shooting and other violence led by the rebels followed Kirk Franklin's group there.
BBC News Reports at Least Two Dead from Shooting
The BBC News reports at least two Ugandans were killed in the violence, and local Ugandans are reporting heavier casualties from the two days of violence over disputed land.
First-Hand Account of Dangerous Riots in Uganda from Gospel Artist Kirk Franklin
To hear the rest of the intense story of the six-hour ordeal in Kirk Franklin's own words, watch the video below. Hear the entire first-hand account of the dangerous riots in Uganda from gospel artist Kirk Franklin.
For more info:
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Comments
Scary! Thanks for writing this up.
Oh wow didn't know about this. I lived in Africa for a few years. Thanks for writing about it.
They're not guerrilla forces or rebels. It's common people - normal citizens - rioting, and the police and army retaliating by firing live ammunition. It has nothing to do with rebels.
Ryan, Please stop posting the same post every few hours. I am removing the duplicate post/s. Guerrilla forces are irregular forces - meaning not regular military, often made up of ordinary citizens, and rebels are normal people and ordinary citizens who rebel:
Rebel - noun "A person who rebels: insurgent, insurrectionary, insurrectionist, mutineer, revolutionary, revolutionist. See resist/yield."
But if you still have a problem with the terminology after you consult a dictionary and thesaurus, see Kirk Franklin as I made it clear I am quoting from his Twitter and YouTube accounts and those are the terms Kirk himself used.
The riots in Kampala went on for 3 days by Baganda people who felt that the government was moving against the cultural leader, the kabaka (king) of the Buganda Kingdom which is a 600 year old Kingdom in Uganda and whose people are the largest ethnic group in the country. 14 people died, including 2 secondary students, 85 hospitalized plus 10 police officers, 1 officer died, 550 arrested. Cool heads prevailed and negotiations between the central government and the Buganda kingdom are taking place...Peace has returned to Uganda. The rioters were armed with sticks, stones for the most part, though some weapons were taken from Natete police station which rioters took over and burned....from Kampala
Praise God! That is good news indeed. Thank you for sharing this update. By the way, Kirk Franklin and his ministry team performed in concert in Kampala the night after his personal ordeal while riots were still going on.
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