Kampala, Uganda – (African Boulevard News) – In a horrific attack on a Ugandan school near the Congo border, suspected rebels killed at least 25 people. The attack took place on Saturday at a school in the northeastern district of Kasese. Police believe that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist militant group, carried out the attack.
According to police, the militants stormed the school and opened fire on students and teachers who were taking part in an evening study program. The victims included both children and teachers. Some wounded survivors were rushed to the hospital by Uganda’s military helicopters.
The attack on the school has left the country in shock and mourning. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni condemned the killings, calling the attackers “cowardly terrorists”. He pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The government will not rest until the criminals have been apprehended and punished severely”, he said in a statement.
The ADF is a Ugandan-led Islamist rebel group that has been active in the eastern part of the country since the 1990s. They were originally based in western Uganda but migrated to eastern Congo in the early 2000s. The group has carried out numerous attacks in the region in recent years, including several on schools and churches.
The latest attack has raised concerns about the security situation in the region, which has been plagued by violence and instability for decades. Ugandan security forces have been carrying out operations against the ADF in the area, with the help of the Congolese army.
According to Alex Vines, director of the Africa program at Chatham House, a think-tank in London, the ADF is a “complex group, with religious, political and social grievances”.
“They have been using violence to achieve their goals for many years, and it looks like they are continuing to do so”, he said.
The attack on the school near the Congo border was a tragic reminder of the ongoing conflict in the region. The people of Uganda and the international community are mourning the loss of innocent lives and calling for an end to the violence.
