Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni indefinitely postponed the annual Uganda Martyrs’ Day celebrations scheduled for June 3. The decision follows a severe and escalating Ebola outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Thousands of devotees traditionally travel from eastern DRC, the current epicenter of the viral outbreak, into Uganda to attend the festival. Government health officials concluded that allowing the mass religious gathering would create an uncontrolled transmission vector for the disease.
The National Epidemic Response Task Force and regional religious leaders finalized the cancellation, according to official statements released by Museveni regarding his consultations.
The World Health Organization raised alarms regarding the outbreak’s proximity to the Ugandan border. International health monitors voiced specific concerns regarding the mass cross-border movement of pilgrims from the eastern Congo.
Uganda Martyrs’ Day is historically one of Africa’s largest religious observances. The festival commemorates 45 Christian converts executed between 1885 and 1887 under the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II.
Ugandan authorities immediately triggered strengthened border screening protocols and heightened disease surveillance along the frontier. Security personnel formally ordered pilgrims already en route to turn around and return home.