Ugandan women recount horror after Northern Ireland mob attack

• Ugandan care workers Sumayah Nakazibwe and Stella Ariokot spent hours trapped inside their Belfast home during riots.

• The women said rioters burned vehicles, attacked homes and threw stones at properties.

• Pastor Jack McKee helped evacuate the pair after speaking to members of the crowd.

• Several migrant families reportedly fled their homes as violence spread across parts of Belfast.

Two Ugandan care workers were forced to shelter inside their Belfast home for hours as rioters attacked properties and vehicles in violence that targeted migrant communities, according to a report by The Guardian.

Sumayah Nakazibwe and Stella Ariokot remained trapped inside their house near Crumlin Road in north Belfast as fires burned nearby and smoke entered their home.

Nakazibwe told The Guardian that the unrest began with groups of young people marching through the area. She said the situation worsened when the crowd set fire to a bus before burning rubbish bins and later attacking cars and homes.

The women watched as rioters moved onto their street, where Romanian, Nigerian, British and Irish families lived.

Nakazibwe said the attackers threw petrol bombs at vehicles and set fires close to residential houses. Concerned for their safety, the women contacted emergency services. However, multiple incidents across the city delayed the response.

The pair said emergency workers advised them to remain indoors because it was too dangerous to leave. At one point, Nakazibwe lost consciousness after stones struck the house.

Ariokot said she stayed on the phone with ambulance personnel, who guided her until her colleague recovered.

The women were eventually rescued after their church pastor, Jack McKee, arrived at the scene and negotiated safe passage with members of the crowd.

McKee told The Guardian that he found a heavy police presence, fire crews and masked men carrying bricks near the property. He said he asked the group to allow him time to remove the women from the house.

According to McKee, some members of the crowd lowered their guard and gave him enough time to evacuate the pair.

The women spent the night with the pastor and his family after leaving the area.

Nakazibwe said the experience had left her shaken and questioning whether she should remain in Northern Ireland. She stressed that those involved in the violence did not represent the wider community.

The Guardian reported that other migrant families also fled their homes during the unrest. In one neighbourhood, a Romanian family escaped after attackers threw bricks at their house, pushed fireworks through the letterbox and forced entry into the property.

Nearby homes occupied by ethnic minority families also suffered damage. Several residents reportedly left the area following the attacks.

Elsewhere in Belfast, families from Romania and Sudan were moved to safety as violence spread through different neighbourhoods.

Community workers told The Guardian that police helped relocate affected families while temporary accommodation was arranged.

Residents quoted by the newspaper said houses occupied by ethnic minority families appeared to have been specifically targeted during the disorder.