At least 42 people have been killed in a massacre by suspected Islamists at a school in Uganda, almost all of them children, according to official figures. Police in the East African country blamed ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) Islamist militia rebels from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo for the bloody crime in the border town of Mpondwe. According to Ugandan authorities, eight students suffered severe burns and gunshot wounds. In addition, the attackers kidnapped 15 children after the attack on Saturday evening. Their fate is unclear.
Although brutal acts of violence occur again and again in the region, the horror of the carnage is also great abroad. According to the Ugandan army, the school was attacked by presumably five ADF fighters and set on fire. The building with several dormitories where the children had gone to bed completely burned down. The military also reported that the Islamists had looted food supplies. The army pursued the attackers across the Congo border. There the fighters fled to the Virunga National Park. Various rebel groups have been active in Africa’s oldest national park for years.
The military initially reported that the 42 dead were all students. A brigadier general told the German news agency dpa on Sunday that a security guard had also died. In New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack and called for the immediate release of the abducted children. Those responsible for this heinous act must be brought to justice.
Eastern Congo is considered one of the most dangerous and unstable regions in the world. Around 130 different armed groups are said to be active across the country. They are particularly interested in the mineral resources of the region. There have also been reports of raids in neighboring Uganda for years. Time and again there are bloody attacks by the ADF and other Congolese militias in the border areas of the two East African countries.
The ADF is said to have ties with the Central African branch of the Islamist terrorist militia IS (Islamic State). The group says it fights for the rights of Muslims in Uganda, who are pushed to the margins of society by the government. The group’s goal is to overthrow the government and introduce Sharia law. However, the victims of the attacks are mainly civilians.
As early as the mid-1990s, the Ugandan army had sent soldiers to Congo to fight the rebels as part of Operation Shujaa. However, after international criticism, the action was stopped. The group’s worst attack came in 1998, when terrorists killed 80 students in a raid on a university in the border region. (aeg/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
