KASESE:
The number of people who died in a suspected ADF attack at Petter Hunter Secondary School in Mpondwe Lhubiriha Town Council in Kasese district has now reached 40.
Six victims have been admitted to Bwera General Hospital, and a yet-to-be identified number of other students have been abducted.
Reports are emerging that assailants believed to be Allied Democratic Front (ADF) rebels attacked the school and killed 25 students on the spot. The attack occurred on Friday night.
The school, in Mpondwe, is about two kilometers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo border with Uganda.
The rebels are said to have abducted an unknown number of students as they retreated back into the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
During the attack, a dormitory is said to have been burned. The school food store was also broken into and looted.
The attack has been confirmed by Kasese Resident District Commissioner Joe Walusimbi.
Uganda Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga says police are on the ground to ascertain the number of dead and missing as well as how the attack occurred.
Enanga further added that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) are in pursuit of the group thought to be headed towards Virunga National Park.
Lt. Maate Magwara, the Kasese Deputy Resident District Commissioner in charge of Bukonzo County, together with the UPDF and Uganda Police, are now at the scene.
A serious operation in the entire Kasese District has started.
We shall keep you updated.
