{"id":8131,"date":"2023-06-17T19:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-06-17T18:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=8131"},"modified":"2023-06-17T21:27:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-17T20:27:31","slug":"rebel-assault-on-ugandan-school-near-congo-border-leaves-41-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/politics\/protests-and-demonstrations\/rebel-assault-on-ugandan-school-near-congo-border-leaves-41-dead\/2023\/06\/17\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebel Assault on Ugandan School Near Congo Border Leaves 41 Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kampala,<\/span> Uganda<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> Experts<\/span> have<\/span> recovered<\/span> the<\/span> bodies<\/span> of<\/span> 41<\/span> people,<\/span> including<\/span> 38<\/span> students<\/span> who<\/span> died<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> brutal<\/span> attack<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> relief<\/span> school<\/span> near<\/span> the<\/span> Uganda-Congo<\/span> border.<\/span> The<\/span> attackers,<\/span> believed<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> Allied<\/span> Equitable<\/span> Forces<\/span> (ADF)<\/span> rebels,<\/span> have<\/span> committed<\/span> horrific<\/span> crimes<\/span> including<\/span> arson,<\/span> shooting<\/span> and<\/span> hacking.<\/span> The<\/span> incident<\/span> occurred<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> border<\/span> town<\/span> of<\/span> Mpondwe,<\/span> sparking<\/span> military<\/span> intervention<\/span> by<\/span> Uganda<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> attention<\/span> of<\/span> invaders<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> porous<\/span> Congolese<\/span> border.<\/span> The<\/span> ADF,<\/span> an<\/span> activist<\/span> group<\/span> linked<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Islamic<\/span> State,<\/span> launched<\/span> an<\/span> attack<\/span> from<\/span> a<\/span> long-contested<\/span> stronghold<\/span> in<\/span> eastern<\/span> Congo.<\/span> Among<\/span> the<\/span> victims<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> massacre<\/span> were<\/span> a<\/span> security<\/span> guard<\/span> and<\/span> two<\/span> nearby<\/span> parishioners,<\/span> who<\/span> were<\/span> sadly<\/span> killed<\/span> outside<\/span> the<\/span> school<\/span> grounds.<\/span> Mpondowe<\/span> Rubiriha<\/span> leader<\/span> Celebest<\/span> Mapose<\/span> said<\/span> some<\/span> sophomores<\/span> suffered<\/span> severe<\/span> burns<\/span> when<\/span> rebels<\/span> set<\/span> fire<\/span> to<\/span> their<\/span> lodgings,<\/span> while<\/span> others<\/span> were<\/span> shot<\/span> or<\/span> injured<\/span> for<\/span> fear<\/span> of<\/span> trial.<\/span> said<\/span> there<\/span> is.<\/span> communicate.<\/span> The<\/span> level<\/span> of<\/span> brutality<\/span> and<\/span> goofy<\/span> viciousness<\/span> towards<\/span> innocent<\/span> sophomores<\/span> took<\/span> the<\/span> community<\/span> by<\/span> surprise.<\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> Ugandan<\/span> military<\/span> confirmed<\/span> that<\/span> about<\/span> five<\/span> attackers<\/span> had<\/span> attacked<\/span> the<\/span> school<\/span> grounds.<\/span> After<\/span> the<\/span> attack,<\/span> warriors<\/span> from<\/span> an<\/span> adjacent<\/span> brigade<\/span> set<\/span> the<\/span> school<\/span> on<\/span> fire<\/span> and<\/span> found<\/span> the<\/span> yard<\/span> littered<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> bodies<\/span> of<\/span> students.<\/span> Military<\/span> representative<\/span> Brigadier<\/span> General<\/span> Felix<\/span> Craig<\/span> said<\/span> a<\/span> total<\/span> of<\/span> 47<\/span> bodies<\/span> had<\/span> been<\/span> recovered<\/span> and<\/span> eight<\/span> wounded<\/span> were<\/span> being<\/span> treated<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> local<\/span> healing<\/span> center.<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> Ugandan<\/span> military<\/span> is<\/span> relentlessly<\/span> pursuing<\/span> the<\/span> attackers<\/span> to<\/span> protect<\/span> detained<\/span> students<\/span> who<\/span> are<\/span> being<\/span> forced<\/span> to<\/span> deliver<\/span> looted<\/span> food<\/span> to<\/span> Congo’s<\/span> Biranga<\/span> National<\/span> Depot.<\/span> Rubiriha<\/span> Subsidiary<\/span> School<\/span> is<\/span> a<\/span> private<\/span> school<\/span> located<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Kasi<\/span> region,<\/span> about<\/span> 2<\/span> kilometers<\/span> (1.2<\/span> miles)<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> Congo<\/span> border.<\/span> Uganda’s<\/span> presidential<\/span> prosecutor<\/span> in<\/span> Cassis,<\/span> Joe<\/span> Walshanbe,<\/span> revealed<\/span> the<\/span> tragic<\/span> nature<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> disaster,<\/span> saying<\/span> some<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> victims<\/span> were<\/span> likely<\/span> unidentified<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> severe<\/span> burns.<\/span> The<\/span> devastating<\/span> attack<\/span> was<\/span> condemned<\/span> by<\/span> former<\/span> MP<\/span> and<\/span> persuasive<\/span> territorial<\/span> politics<\/span> pioneer<\/span> Winnie<\/span> Kaiser.<\/span> Keiza<\/span> expressed<\/span> his<\/span> anger<\/span> on<\/span> Twitter.<\/span><\/p>\n

He<\/span> called<\/span> the<\/span> attack<\/span> “abhorrent”<\/span> and<\/span> stressed<\/span> the<\/span> importance<\/span> of<\/span> schools<\/span> as<\/span> safe<\/span> havens<\/span> for<\/span> all<\/span> students.<\/span> Forces<\/span> under<\/span> the<\/span> Affiliation<\/span> Act<\/span> (ADF)<\/span> are<\/span> notorious<\/span> for<\/span> attacking<\/span> civilians<\/span> in<\/span> remote<\/span> areas<\/span> of<\/span> eastern<\/span> Congo.<\/span> It<\/span> is<\/span> worth<\/span> noting<\/span> that<\/span> this<\/span> group<\/span> rarely<\/span> conducts<\/span> attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their<\/span> opposition<\/span> to<\/span> Ugandan<\/span> President<\/span> Yoweri<\/span> Museveni,<\/span> who<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> in<\/span> power<\/span> since<\/span> 1986,<\/span> has<\/span> long<\/span> been<\/span> the<\/span> driving<\/span> force<\/span> behind<\/span> the<\/span> ADF’s<\/span> work.<\/span> Originally<\/span> founded<\/span> by<\/span> marginalized<\/span> Ugandan<\/span> Muslims<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> early<\/span> 1990s,<\/span> rebels<\/span> ravaged<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span> and<\/span> even<\/span> attacked<\/span> the<\/span> capital,<\/span> leading<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> massacre<\/span> of<\/span> 80<\/span> students<\/span> in<\/span> 1998.<\/span> After<\/span> being<\/span> attacked<\/span> by<\/span> Ugandan<\/span> forces,<\/span> the<\/span> ADF<\/span> relocated<\/span> to<\/span> eastern<\/span> Congo,<\/span> a<\/span> stronghold<\/span> of<\/span> other<\/span> insurgency,<\/span> but<\/span> began<\/span> to<\/span> function<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> limited<\/span> central<\/span> government<\/span> control.<\/span> Over<\/span> time,<\/span> the<\/span> ADF<\/span> has<\/span> expanded<\/span> its<\/span> ties<\/span> with<\/span> Islamic<\/span> State,<\/span> raising<\/span> concerns<\/span> about<\/span> its<\/span> brutal<\/span> tendencies.<\/span> In<\/span> Wok,<\/span> suspected<\/span> ADF<\/span> fighters<\/span> killed<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> 19<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> Congo.<\/span> Ugandan<\/span> experts<\/span> continue<\/span> to<\/span> express<\/span> their<\/span> determination<\/span> to<\/span> follow<\/span> ADF<\/span> fighters<\/span> and<\/span> expand<\/span> their<\/span> operations<\/span> across<\/span> borders.<\/span> In<\/span> 2021,<\/span> Uganda<\/span> will<\/span> launch<\/span> a<\/span> joint<\/span> offensive<\/span> and<\/span> artillery<\/span> strike<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> interior<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Democratic<\/span> Republic<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Congo.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kampala, Uganda (AP) – Experts have recovered the bodies of 41 people, including 38 students who died in a brutal attack on a relief school near the Uganda-Congo border. The attackers, believed to be Allied Equitable Forces (ADF) rebels, have committed horrific crimes including arson, shooting and hacking. The incident occurred in the border town […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[1585,5795],"tags":[6622,6623,6624,3345,5993,6621],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/download-2.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8131"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8131"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8151,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8131\/revisions\/8151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}