Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Sunday, May 17, announced the postponement of this year’s Martyrs’ Day celebrations due to an outbreak of the Ebola virus. Martyrs’ Day is a national public holiday observed annually on June 3 to commemorate 45 Christian converts who were executed on the orders of King of Buganda Kabaka Mwanga II, between 1885 and 1887 after refusing to renounce their faith. ALSO READ: Uganda confirms Ebola outbreak as DR Congo reports 80 deaths As of Sunday, May 17, Uganda had confirmed two Ebola cases, including a 59-year-old man who died on Thursday in Bundibugyo, a town on the border with DR Congo, which has recorded 246 cases and 80 deaths from the haemorrhagic disease. “We have decided to postpone the Martyrs’ Day to a later date, which will be communicated,” President Yoweri Museveni said in a statement on Sunday. “This decision was made because Uganda receives thousands of pilgrims annually from eastern Congo, which is currently experiencing an Ebola outbreak. To safeguard everyone’s lives, it is essential that this important event be postponed.” ALSO READ: Ebola outbreak in DR Congo declared a global health emergency Museveni also encouraged those who had already begun their journey to return home, observe precautionary measures, report suspected cases, and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms. The World Health Organization on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda a global health emergency of international concern. The current outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, one of six strains of the highly infectious disease.
