Uganda: Hand grenade kills 6 Sudanese refugee children

KAMPALA, Uganda

A hand grenade killed 6 children as it exploded while they were playing with it in a Sudanese refugee camp in Uganda on Thursday.

Police said 5 other children were severely injured in the blast and have been taken to a hospital.

Uganda’s northern region police spokeswoman Josephine Angucia said the accident occurred in the Magi refugees settlement camp in Adjuman -- more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the capital of Kampala.

The camp hosts thousands of refugees from Southern Sudan who fled tribal wars.

Angucia told Anadolu Agency that refugees burned grass to prepare the ground to grow food. An abandoned grenade was found in the process.

“The children picked the grenade and started playing with it as they mistook it for a toy. They attempted to cut it with a machete and it went off,” said Angucia.

She said police believe the grenade was abandoned by Lord Resistant Army rebels who were driven from the area several years ago.

KAMPALA, Uganda

A hand grenade killed 6 children as it exploded while they were playing with it in a Sudanese refugee camp in Uganda on Thursday.

Police said 5 other children were severely injured in the blast and have been taken to a hospital.

The camp hosts thousands of refugees from Southern Sudan who fled tribal wars.

Angucia told Anadolu Agency that refugees burned grass to prepare the ground to grow food. An abandoned grenade was found in the process.

“The children picked the grenade and started playing with it as they mistook it for a toy. They attempted to cut it with a machete and it went off,” said Angucia.

She said police believe the grenade was abandoned by Lord Resistant Army rebels who were driven from the area several years ago.