At least 41 people were killed by rebel extremists in a brutal attack on a school in Uganda near the border with Congo, officials said.
The mayor of Mpondwe, Uganda, said Saturday morning that authorities had recovered the bodies of 41 people, including 38 students, who were burned, shot or hacked to death in an attack on Lhubiriha Secondary School. The Ugandan military said at least six other people were abducted and believed to have been taken across the border into Congo, according to the Associated Press.
Authorities said the perpetrators were the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist extremist group with ties to ISIS, which has been launching terrorist attacks throughout the region from bases in the volatile Congo.
The victims included the students, one guard and two members of the local community who were killed outside the school, Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Mayor Selevest Mapoze told The Associated Press.
In this image made from video, people make their way towards the Lhubiriha Secondary School following an attack on the school near the border with Congo, in Mpondwe, Uganda, Saturday, June 17, 2023. Ugandan authorities recovered the bodies of dozens of people including students who were burned, shot or hacked to death after suspected rebels attacked the school, the local mayor said Saturday. (AP Photo) (AP Photo)
“On arrival, the school was found burning with dead bodies of students lying in the compound with the school food store broken into, posho and beans taken,” military spokesman Brig. Felix Kulayigye said in a statement.
The statement indicated 37 bodies were recovered and taken to a local mortuary, while eight survivors were transported to a nearby hospital. Three people were rescued alive and six were abducted, the military said.
DEADLY ATTACK BY MILITIA GROUP CLAIMS OVER 45 LIVES IN EASTERN CONGO’S ITURI PROVINCE
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has been linked to several recent mass killings in Uganda and Congo.
EXTREMISTS ATTACK BEACHSIDE HOTEL IN SOMALIA’S CAPITAL, TRAPPING CIVILIANS INSIDE
In this image made from video, security forces are seen outside the gate of the Lhubiriha Secondary School following an attack on the school near the border with Congo, in Mpondwe, Uganda, Saturday, June 17, 2023. Ugandan authorities recovered the bodies of dozens of people including students who were burned, shot or hacked to death after suspected rebels attacked the school, the local mayor said Saturday. (AP Photo) (AP Photo)
ADF opposes the rule of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a U.S. ally who has maintained power in the East African country since 1986.