Death toll from rebels attack on school in Uganda rises to 41

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA): The death toll from an attack by rebels on a secondary school in western Uganda on the night of June 16 has risen to 41 after more bodies of students were found, according to officials.

Selevest Mapoze, director of the Mpondwe-Lhubiriha border region, said that 41 bodies were removed from the school, 38 of students.

Earlier, army spokesman Brig. Gen. Felix Kulayigye told the media that 20 students were hacked to death while 17 were burnt in a dormitory.

He added that some of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition and the authorities will use DNA tests to determine their identities.

The rebels also kidnapped six students, he added.

Earlier, in a statement, police spokesman Fred Enanga said that after killing the students in the Kasese district, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels looted the property before setting the schools’ dormitories on fire.

“Last night, the ADF rebels attacked the Lhubirira Secondary School in Mpondwe municipality, located about 2 kilometers from the DR Congo border,” said the spokesman.

The rebels fled towards Virunga National Game Park in DR Congo.

The ADF rebels originated from western Uganda in the late 1990s with the intention of overthrowing President Yoweri Museveni’s regime but were overpowered by the Ugandan army. They fled to the forests in eastern DR Congo, from where they often launch attacks on villages and kill innocent people.