Authorities reported that at least 25 people, including children, were killed in an attack by an Islamic State-affiliated rebel group on a school in western Uganda, near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Ugandan police spokesman Fred Enanga described the incident as a “terrorist attack” that occurred overnight. The militia known as ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), based in eastern DRC, set fire to a dormitory and looted a food store at a secondary school near Bwera. In the tragic event, schoolchildren were among the deceased.
Enanga mentioned that eight victims were rescued alive and are in critical condition at a nearby hospital. However, several students are still missing, according to district commissioner Joe Walusimbi. The army and police are in pursuit of the attackers, who fled into Virunga National Park in the DRC, where the ADF militia has a presence.
The ADF militia, which originally emerged as an insurgent group in Uganda in the 1990s, established itself in eastern DRC and has been accused of committing numerous violent acts against civilians. In 2019, the group pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which considers them a local branch in Central Africa. They have been held responsible for jihadist attacks in both the DRC and Uganda.
This is not the first attack attributed to the ADF against a school in Uganda. In June 1998, during an attack on the Kichwamba Technical Institute near the DRC border, 80 students were burned alive in their dormitories, and more than 100 were abducted.
Despite joint efforts by Uganda and the DRC to expel the ADF from their strongholds in Congolese territory, the group’s attacks continue. The United States announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the ADF leader, Musa Baluku, a Ugandan man in his 40s.