Martyrs Day Postponed Over Ebola Fears

The annual Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations, usually held every June 3, have been postponed, President Yoweri Museveni announced on Sunday evening.

“After consultations with the national epidemic response task force and religious leaders, we have decided to postpone the Martyrs Day to a later date, which will be communicated,” Museveni said in a statement.

He explained that the decision was made because Uganda receives thousands of pilgrims from Eastern Congo every year, a region currently battling an Ebola outbreak.

Museveni said postponing the important religious event was necessary to protect lives. He urged pilgrims who had already started their journeys to return home, continue observing health guidelines, report suspected cases, and encourage the sick to seek medical attention.

While acknowledging the inconvenience caused, the President stressed that protecting lives must come first.The World Health Organization has confirmed an Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, where 80 deaths have been reported.

In Uganda, the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Diana Atwine, confirmed that one Congolese national has died from an imported case of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus.

By Friday morning, around 70 pilgrims from DR Congo had arrived in Kasese District, but by Sunday they were still being held for Ebola screening.