At Least 41 Killed During Horrific Christian School Attack In Uganda
As part of the ongoing targeting of Christians worldwide, and the continued brutal attacks on Christians in Africa, rebels in Uganda are suspected of carrying out a horrific attack on a school in a remote area that is adjacent to the Democratic Republic of Congo border. At least 41 people, including 38 students, died in the raid.
The Associated Press reported that some students are unidentifiable due to extensive burn injuries, while others were shot or hacked to death. It is believed that five extremists attacked the school with guns and machetes before setting it on fire.
A school guard and three local residents were also killed. Eight students are reported to be in critical condition.
Six students are believed to have been abducted by the rebels to carry food supplies stolen from the facility’s storage. It was the first reported attack carried out on a Ugandan school in 25 years.
The privately owned school is just a mile from the Congo border. The eastern sector of the neighboring country is known for violence and volatility, which is a far cry from Uganda’s peaceful record of recent years.
An extremist group from that locale is suspected of carrying out the attack on Lhubiriha Secondary School. Authorities believe that the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, is responsible.
The BBC reported that the rebels killed 20 students with machetes and another 17 were burned to death. Survivors said the machete attack was followed by a bomb being thrown into the dormitory, though it is unknown whether this started the fire.
The militants are believed to have returned across the border of DR Congo.
Ugandan soldiers are pursuing the ADF suspects toward Congo’s Virunga National Park, Africa’s largest and oldest. Militant groups use the vast and untamed area as a home base, though Uganda and Congo have conducted joint exercises to stymie ADF activities.
Helicopters were deployed to search for the rebels in the remote and mountainous terrain.
Local residents blasted authorities for being unprepared in the face of the ADF attack. One told reporters that the government said the borders were secure, but “I want the security to tell us where they were when these killers came to kill our people.”
ADF alleges discrimination against Muslims in Uganda, where they make up almost 14% of the population. These rebels are believed to have operated from within Congo for the past two years.
