Three Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia have died after their colleague turned his gun on them while on a shooting rampage, APA has learnt.The Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldier named as Corporal Simon Agaba shot randomly and killed three other soldiers serving under the same contingent as him in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

In a statement, the spokesman of the UPDF in Somalia, Capt George William Musinguzi said Agaba in an unprovoked incident opened fire on a colleague and two others who tried to stop him.

Capt Musinguzi said the incident took place at 6am on Monday while Agaba was posted to the Aden Adde international airport as a guard. 

His victims have been identified as Lance Corporals Christopher Kigongo and Lord Charles Mangwi and Private Charles Akatwongyera.

According to the spokesperson Kigongo was the first victim was received a bullet in the chest.

The second who rushed to find out the reason for the first shot was targeted by a hail of bullets which hit his head. 

The third victim was caught in the back as he tried to flee.

Musinguzi said other soldiers had disarmed Agaba who did not resist arrest but demanded to be shot.

He said Agaba was widely suspected to have been in a state of mental distress.

This is not the first shooting incident involving a Ugandan peacekeeper in Somalia.

In 2019 a captain turned the gun on himself after gunning down a member of the UPDF peacekeeping contingent which has been deployed in Somalia under a hybrid African Union force to tackle a 15-year insurgency by the militant group al-Shabaab.