Following yesterday’s merciless suspected ADF attack to Kasese, Reports from Mpondwe indicate that the rebels attacked Lhubirira secondary school and killed 41, including 38 students.
The Killings
The 41, were killed at the school near the Uganda-DRC border Friday night including 38 students, one guard and two members of the local community who were shot outside the school.
Police Speaks Out
“Last night, we registered a terrorist attack by the ADF rebels, on Lhubirira secondary school, in Mpondwe, that is located about 2 kms, from the DRC border,” police said in a statement.
Police also revealed that the dormitory was burnt and a food store looted.
According to the same police, a joint pursuit by the UPDF is ongoing, towards Virunga national park in search of the Killers.
Scenario as reported by the school
Information from the school administration, reveals that the suspected rebels attacked the school at around 10:30 pm on Friday shortly after the students had returned from the evening preps.
Mary Musoki a teacher at the school said the gunmen who also carried other killer objects first stormed the school director’s home and demanded money from his wife who was alone at the time.
No sooner had they left the director’s home than they stormed the male and female dormitories, cutting their victims into pieces and shooting them.
The rebels, further raided the girls domitory where several were injured and hacked to death before taking others as captives.
They later set a section of the school block on fire.
The Bwera division DPC, Tai Ramadan, says the search is on for the missing students who they suspect to have been abducted.
The attack on the school brings fresh memories of the 1998 attack on Kichwamba Technical Institute in Kabarole District by ADF rebels. In this attack, rebels killed 80 students and abducted several.
It should be remembered that On Monday this week, more than 100 Congolese nationals entered Mpondwe-Lubiriha Town Council following suspected ADF attacks on local communities. Eight people are reported to have been killed during the attack.
Addressing heartbroken curious locals, Major Gen.Olum who is also the Commander operation Shujja in Congo, noted that they landed on in information that the killers spent about two nights in the area before raiding the school.
He also said that they had sent for choppers to be deployed in the search for the abducted students.
Given the fact that the burnt bodies were beyond human recognition, Gen. Olum said that the charred bodies will be subjected to DNA tests to help identify them before they can be handed over to their parents.
