Uganda: Students killed by militants in horrific attack

By Nathan Morley

Scores pupils have been killed at a school in Uganda by ADF rebels linked to the so-called Islamic State group.

Horrifying reports from Uganda detail how five men –all connected with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) based in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo - attacked the Lhubiriha school in Mpondwe late on Friday night.

After entering the premises, the intruders set fires and used knives to kill and maim the pupils.

So far, 37 students are confirmed to have been killed, while eight people are in critical condition.

After the attack, six students were reportedly abducted to carry stolen food as the militants fled across the border to their base in the DRC.

In an attempt to catch the perpetrators, the Ugandan army said it was using both aerial and ground forces to pursue the attackers.

"The planes have already arrived and deployed. They are going to search everywhere for these rebels," Dick Olum, the Ugandan Peoples' Defence Forces commander told the media.

Expressing outrage, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres described an ‘appalling act’ and called for the culprits to be apprehended.