In a horrifying act of terror, militants associated with the Islamic State launched an assault on a school located in western Uganda near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The death toll resulting from this attack has tragically climbed from 25 to a minimum of 41.
NTV Uganda Television, a privately-owned news outlet, reported a death toll of 41 on Twitter, while the state-run New Vision newspaper confirmed 42 fatalities. The school, situated approximately 2 km from the DRC border, became the target of the assault.
On June 16, members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an extremist group operating in eastern Congo, attacked Lhubiriha Secondary School in the border town of Mpondwe, according to the police. Additionally, the assailants set fire to the hostel and looted food supplies.
In a Twitter update, the Ugandan police stated that 25 bodies had been recovered from the school and transported to Bwera Hospital. Eight individuals remain in critical condition at Bawera Hospital.
The police have not disclosed the exact number of school children among the deceased. However, NTV Uganda reported that there were 62 people present at the school during the attack.
Pursuing the fleeing assailants, the police stated that soldiers were tracking them towards the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a separate incident in April, the ADF targeted a village in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 people. In response to ADF’s activities, Uganda has deployed troops to Congo to combat the group.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) is an Islamist rebel organization originating from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Classified as a terrorist group by the Ugandan government, it was originally based in western Uganda but has since expanded its operations into the neighboring DRC. Since the late 1990s, the ADF has been reportedly active in the North Kivu province of the DRC, which shares a border with Uganda.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
