Uganda violence after blaze destroys Unesco site

Wed Mar 17 2010 15:59:33

At least seven people have been shot in clashes between Ugandan security forces and regional loyalists.

Violence flared as soldiers tried to clear members of the powerful Baganda tribe from an historic royal tomb after it was destroyed in a fire.

The cause of the blaze that destroyed the thatched-roof mausoleum and many centuries-old royal artefacts at the Unesco World Heritage Site has not been identified, but some protesters suspect foul play.

The Baganda are Uganda's largest tribe and were instrumental in President Yoweri Museveni coming to power 24 years ago after a military struggle.

But relations have been increasingly strained since Museveni last year blocked the reigning monarch, Ronald Mutebi, from visiting a part of the Buganda kingdom.

The standoff sparked two days of rioting in the capital Kampala that killed at least 15 people.

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