10 IDPs killed as militiaman goes on shooting rampage

At least 10 people were killed and 14 wounded when a local militiaman opened fire at a camp for internally displaced people in northern Uganda, an army spokesman said on Tuesday.

The assailant, a member of a civilian-protection militia known as Amuka, randomly fired on people on Monday in Ogwete camp in Lira District. The assailant escaped.

"These people were drinking beer before they developed a quarrel, and this man ran amok before shooting whomever was in his sight, killing 10 people instantly," said the spokesman, Lt Chris Magezi. "We have recorded 14 injuries, and they have been admitted at Lira hospital." The army had detained two of the militiaman's colleagues for interrogation. Local media reports said the incident was sparked by a disagreement over a woman.

The Amuka militia was established by the government to guard villages in northern Ugandan against attacks by rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a brutal insurgency that has killed thousands and led to the displacement of almost 2 million people during the past two decades.