Grenade event in Moyo, Oyajo village, Eria Parish area, Uganda on Fri 30th August 2024

One dead, three injured in Moyo grenade explosion

A devastating bomb blast in Moyo District has claimed the life of 18-year-old Joseph Apina and left three others severely injured.

The incident occurred on Thursday in Oyajo village, Eria Parish, Moyo sub-county, when Apina and his friends stumbled upon an old explosive device while sand mining.

"I can confirm that the victim was playing with the object, which blasted in his hands, cutting off both hands and deforming his face," said Ignatius Dragudu, the North West Nile regional police spokesperson.

The area, once a battleground for the Anyanya war and UNRF I and II, is believed to have several buried explosives. Police investigations suggest that the bomb was abandoned during the war, likely between 1979 and 1985.

Mr Julius Igama, an eyewitness said the boys found the object while mining sand for home use, unaware of the danger lurking beneath.

Maj Peter Mugisha, 4th Division PRO for the UPDF, warned people be careful and vigilant about unexploded ordinances which still exist in the bushes and hills after the insurgencies.

"We appeal to whoever finds such metals or suspicious devices not to temper with it but report immediately to the nearby security authorities for proper handling. For more than two decades of insurgencies, some unexploded devices have been left buried in the ground,” he said.

Moyo Resident District Commissioner Goffin Gore emphasised, "No civilian should handle military objects. We have a military team trained to handle such devices."

The incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers still present in the region, decades after the insurgencies.