Over 40 Killed and Several Kidnapped in IS School Attack in Western Uganda

At least 41 people were brutally murdered and several others were kidnapped during an attack on a school in western Uganda. The assault, carried out by militants affiliated with the rebel organization Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), has left the nation in mourning and heightened concerns over security in the area.

The targeted institution was the Lhubirira secondary school in Mpondwe, located close to the frontier with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The assailants, identified as Islamic State-aligned militants linked to the ADF, struck the school with deadly force, leaving behind a trail of devastation and grief.

After the assault, the ADF rebels made their escape, retreating towards the notorious Virunga National Park, which lies in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. The park’s dense forests have become a refuge for the ADF remnants, enabling them to regroup and launch attacks in both the DRC and Uganda.

The Allied Democratic Forces initially emerged in the 1990s, launching an insurgency against President Yoweri Museveni’s government. However, the Ugandan military managed to quell the group’s activities, decisively defeating them. Despite this setback, remnants of the ADF sought refuge in the eastern forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, using the territory as a launching pad to continue their violent insurgency.

This tragic incident is not the first of its kind in the region. In April of this year, the ADF targeted a village in eastern DRC, leading to the deaths of at least twenty innocent individuals. The group’s continued reign of terror has raised alarm bells among authorities and communities in both Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The attack on the school in western Uganda has once again highlighted the urgent need for stronger security measures and increased collaboration between the two nations to combat the ADF threat. The loss of innocent lives and the trauma inflicted on survivors demand immediate action to address the root causes of extremism and prevent further tragedies.