Mpondwe school massacre

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Mpondwe school massacre
Part of the Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
LocationMpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School, Mpondwe, Kasese District, Uganda
Coordinates 00°01′41″N29°44′09″E / 0.02806°N 29.73583°E / 0.02806; 29.73583
Date16 June 2023
23:30 (EAT: GMT+3)
Attack type
  • Arson
  • looting
  • school massacre
  • terrorism
WeaponsPetrol bombs, machetes
Deaths42
Injured8
Perpetrators Allied Democratic Forces
Motive Jihadism

On 16 June 2023 rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a jihadist group speculatively linked by analysts to the Islamic State, [1] attacked a secondary school in Mpondwe, a town in western Uganda's Kasese District on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 42 people were killed, including 38 students; 8 were injured. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

The Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School is a boarding school located in Mpondwe, Kasese District. It is a privately owned facility, built by Canadian-led NGO Partnerships for Opportunity Development Association (PODA). [4] At the time of the June 2023 attack, 63 pupils lived there. According to statements made by First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni, ownership and control of the school were a matter of dispute. [5] [6]

In 1987 Christian insurgent group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) began an insurgency in Uganda. The largest of their mass kidnappings was from a secondary school in 1996 in Aboke, Apac District, Northern Region. Islamist insurgent groups carried out suicide bombings in 2010 in Kampala, as well as in 2021 in Kampala and in the Central Region's Mpigi and Nakaseke Districts. The attack on the Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School marked the first attack by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) jihadists (who are allied to the LRA) on a Ugandan school in 25 years: in June 1998, the Kichwamba massacre took place carried out by ADF at the Uganda Technical College, Kichwamba, near the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 80 students who were burnt alive in their dormitories and abducting over 100 others. [6]

Incident

The rebel attack on the school occurred at about 23:30 EAT. A group of five assailants set fire to the boys' dormitory and looted a food store during the assault. Forty-two people were killed during the attack, including 38 students, a school guard, and three local residents; [7] [8] according to the police, the deceased ranged in age from 12 to 95. [9] Of the students killed, 20 were girls who were hacked to death, while 18 were boys who died during the arson. [10] Eight people were severely wounded and hospitalized in critical condition. Preliminary reports indicated that six others were abducted, nearly all girl pupils. [11] Some of the bodies suffered extensive burns, necessitating DNA tests for identification purposes. [6] The attackers also confronted the wife of the school's director in her home on the compound, but because she was breastfeeding, they allowed her and her children to escape before setting fire to the house. [12]

Perpetrators

According to major general Dick Olum of the Uganda People's Defence Force, security forces had received intelligence indicating the presence of rebels in the border area on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) side for a minimum of two days prior to the attack. The National Police identified the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) as responsible for the attack. [6]

Aftermath

Fred Enanga, the national police spokesperson, stated that a significant number of the bodies were transported to Bwera Hospital. Authorities stated that soldiers pursued the group, which fled in the direction of Virunga National Park in the DRC. In addition, the Ugandan Army has mobilized aircraft to assist in locating the rebel group. [6]

In a statement on 19 June, Enanga announced the arrest of 20 persons suspected of collaborating with the ADF, including the school's director and headmaster. He also said that the number of abducted pupils remained uncertain, but was about six. [9] On 21 June, the Ugandan forces rescued three of the abducted students inside the Virunga National Park in the DRC. Military spokesman Felix Kulayigye said two terrorists were killed, and two guns were recovered during the rescue. A woman with two children who had been kidnapped outside the school was also rescued. [13]

The Ministry of Education and Sports compensated each of the bereaved families with 5 million shillings (roughly US$1,350, £1,058 or €1,238) to assist them with funeral expenses. The injured students received 2 million shillings to help cover their medical bills. [14]

International reactions

The African Union, the United Nations, France, and the United States strongly condemned the attack and presented their condolences to the victims' families. [15] [16]

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said in his speech that "Those responsible for this appalling act must be brought to justice." [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allied Democratic Forces</span> Ugandan rebel group

The Allied Democratic Forces is an Islamist rebel group in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), considered a terrorist organisation by the Ugandan government. It was originally based in western Uganda but has expanded into the neighbouring DRC. Most Ugandan ADF fighters are Muslims from the Baganda and Basoga ethnic groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ituri conflict</span> Subconflict of the Second Congo War

The Ituri conflict is an ongoing low intensity asymmetrical conflict between the agriculturalist Lendu and pastoralist Hema ethnic groups in the Ituri region of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While the two groups had fought since as early as 1972, the name 'Ituri conflict' refers to the period of intense violence between 1999 and 2003. Armed conflict continues to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bundibugyo District</span> District in Western Uganda, Uganda

Bundibugyo District is a district in the Western Region of Uganda, bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The town of Bundibugyo is where both the district headquarters and the Bwamba Kingdom seat are located. Before July 2010, the districts of Ntoroko and Bundibugyo were one. These districts are the only two in Uganda that lie west of the Rwenzori mountains. Bundibugyo was first named Semuliki district on separating it from the Greator Kabarole district alongside Rwenzori district (Kasese) in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> City in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Beni is a city in north eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, lying immediately west of the Virunga National Park and the Rwenzori Mountains, on the edge of the Ituri Forest.

Terrorism in Uganda primarily occurs in the north, where the Lord's Resistance Army, a militant Christian religious cult that seeks to overthrow the Ugandan government, has attacked villages and forcibly conscripted children into the organization since 1988. The al-Shabbab jihadist group has also staged attacks in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kivu conflict</span> Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Kivu conflict is an umbrella term for a series of protracted armed conflicts in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo which have occurred since the end of the Second Congo War. Including neighboring Ituri province, there are more than 120 different armed groups active in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently, some of the most active rebel groups include the Allied Democratic Forces, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo, the March 23 Movement, and many local Mai Mai militias. In addition to rebel groups and the governmental FARDC troops, a number of national and international organizations have intervened militarily in the conflict, including the United Nations force known as MONUSCO, and an East African Community regional force.

Mpondwe is a town in the Western Region of Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makombo massacre</span> 2009 massacre in Democratic Republic of Congo

The Makombo massacre took place from 14 to 17 December 2009 in the Haut-Uele District of Democratic Republic of the Congo in the village and region of Makombo. Human Rights Watch (HRW) believes the attacks, which killed 321 people, were perpetrated by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which denied responsibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Force Intervention Brigade</span> Military unit

The United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) is a military formation which constitutes part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). It was authorized by the United Nations Security Council on 28 March 2013 through Resolution 2098. Although it is not the first instance in which the use of force was authorized by the UN, the Force Intervention Brigade is the first UN peacekeeping operation specifically tasked to carry out targeted offensive operations to "neutralize and disarm" groups considered a threat to state authority and civilian security. In this case, the main target was the M23 militia group, as well as other Congolese and foreign rebel groups. While such operations do not require the support of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), the Force Intervention Brigade often acts in unison with the FARDC to disarm rebel groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allied Democratic Forces insurgency</span> Islamist insurgency in the DR Congo and Uganda

The Allied Democratic Forces insurgency is an ongoing conflict waged by the Allied Democratic Forces in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, against the governments of those two countries and the MONUSCO. The insurgency began in 1996, intensifying in 2013, resulting in hundreds of deaths. The ADF is known to currently control a number of hidden camps which are home to about 2,000 people; in these camps, the ADF operates as a proto-state with "an internal security service, a prison, health clinics, and an orphanage" as well as schools for boys and girls.

Kasindi is a town in north eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beni massacre</span> 2016 massacre in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo

On 14 August 2016, multiple assailants raided the district of Rwangoma in the city of Beni which is located in North Kivu of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The city is located in the popular Virunga National Park. At least 64 people were killed, as 64 bodies had been located during the search. Officials estimate the death toll to be from 75 to 101. An unknown number of people were injured. The Ugandan rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) were suspected to be behind to attack by the DRC. The incident is another in a series of massacres in Beni that have left over 700 people dead since October 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Semuliki attack</span>

The 2017 Semuliki attack was an attack carried out by elements of the Allied Democratic Forces on a United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) operating base in the Beni Territory, North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on December 7, 2017. The attack was highly coordinated and resulted in the deaths of fifteen U.N. peacekeeping personnel and wounds to 53 others making it the deadliest incident for the U.N. since the deaths of twenty-four Pakistani peacekeepers in an ambush in Somalia in 1993. The attack was among many of the latest flare-ups in violence in the North Kivu region which borders Uganda and Rwanda and one of the ADF's deadliest attacks in recent history. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres labeled the attack, "the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organization's recent history."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State – Central Africa Province</span> Central African branch of the Islamic State

The Central Africa Province is an administrative division of the Islamic State (IS), a Salafi jihadist militant group and unrecognised quasi-state. As a result of a lack of information, the foundation date and territorial extent of the Central Africa Province are difficult to gauge, while the military strength and activities of the province's affiliates are disputed. The Central Africa Province initially covered all IS activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique. In September 2020, during the insurgency in Cabo Delgado, IS-CAP shifted its strategy from raiding to actually occupying territory, and declared the Mozambican town of Mocímboa da Praia its capital. After this point, however, the Mozambican branch declined and was split off from IS-CAP in 2022, becoming a separate IS province.

Attacks were carried out by various armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2021 and 2022. The attacks have killed 629 and injured 321. At least 82 perpetrators were also killed and one injured in these attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kichwamba massacre</span> 1998 killing of students in Kabarole, Uganda


On 8 June 1998, rebels affiliated with the Allied Democratic Front (ADF) armed group attacked the Kichwamba Technical Institute in Kabarole, Uganda, and set three dormitories on fire, killing 80 students. The ADF abducted another 100 students and destroyed other property including laboratories and school vehicles.

Events in the year 2023 in Uganda.

On the night on June 5, 2022, militants from Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked the village of Bwanasura, in Otomabere, North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attack killed over twenty civilians, marking one of the deadliest attacks by the ADF in 2022.

Between the night of April 3–4, 2022, Allied Democratic Forces jihadists attacked the village of Masambo, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 21 people.

References

  1. ↑ West, Sunguta (31 May 2019). "Has Islamic State Really Entered the Congo and is an IS Province There a Gamble?" (PDF). Terrorism Monitor. 17 (11). Jamestown Foundation: 7–9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  2. ↑ "Parents submit DNA samples to ID Uganda school massacre victims". Al Jazeera. 20 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Dozens killed, six abducted in an attack on Uganda school". Al Jazeera. 17 June 2023. Archived from the original on 23 July 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "School targeted in Uganda massacre was built with help from Canadian non-profit". CBC News. 18 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Kamurungi, Elizabeth (17 June 2023). "Attacked school had ownership wrangles: Janet". The Monitor . Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Uganda: 25 killed by militants in school attack". BBC News. 17 June 2023. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "Ugandan border town buries victims of rebel massacre that left 42 dead, mostly students". Associated Press News. 18 June 2023. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  8. ↑ Yee, Isaac; Feleke, Bethlehem; Lau, Chris (17 June 2023). "ISIS-linked rebel group attacks Ugandan school, killing dozens". CNN. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Kasese attack: Police says 20 'collaborators' arrested". New Vision. 19 June 2023. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "Uganda school attack: What we know so far". Al Jazeera. 18 June 2023. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Mukiibi, Hellen (17 June 2023). "ADF Attack Kasese, Over 25 Civilians Confirmed Dead". New Vision . Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  12. ↑ Matege, Steven Denis; Amanyire, Samuel (17 June 2023). "Kasese ADF attack: 'Breastfeeding saved my life'". New Vision. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  13. ↑ "Three students abducted in deadly school attack rescued by Ugandan forces". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  14. ↑ Amanyire, Samuel (18 June 2023). "Kasese ADF attack: Families receive sh5m each for burial expenses". New Vision. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  15. ↑ "Uganda detains 20 rebel 'collaborators' after student massacre". Reuters. 19 June 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  16. ↑ "Dozens killed in militant attack on school in western Uganda". France 24. 17 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "Families in Uganda bury their dead after school massacre". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 18 June 2023. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
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