KANUNGU — 2000 · Major Tragedy
Kanungu Church Fire
On 17 March 2000, in the Kanungu area of south-western Uganda, the church of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, a doomsday cult, was set on fire with hundreds of members inside. Its doors and windows had been nailed shut from outside; around 530 people died in the church. In the following days mass graves were found on other properties belonging to the group, and the official death toll rose above 900. Authorities concluded it was mass murder rather than mass suicide. International arrest warrants were issued for the cult's leaders, but none were ever found and nobody has been prosecuted.
- Date
- 2000
- Place
- Kanungu, Uganda, Kanungu, UG
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Unsolved
- Coordinates
- -0.9580, 29.7900 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 17 March 2000The cult's church in Kanungu was set ablaze with hundreds inside.
- 21 March 2000Mass graves began to be found on other cult properties.
- 2000The total death toll exceeded 900 and was deemed mass murder.
- 2000International arrest warrants were issued for the cult leaders.
- March 2020Twenty years on, no one had been prosecuted.
Sources
- BBC News — Uganda's Kanungu cult massacre: 20 years on bbc.com ↗
- The New York Times — Evidence indicates Uganda cult held an eerie prelude to fire nytimes.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God en.wikipedia.org ↗
- BBC News
- The New York Times
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.