At least 40 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
At least 40 people, mostly students, were killed during an attack on a Ugandan school by rebel forces linked to ISIS, officials said Saturday. The attack marked one of the deadliest terrorist incidents in the country's history.
The incident began when about 20 rebel soldiers from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked the Lhubirira secondary school in Mpondwe, a town near the Uganda border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ADF, described by the Congressional Research Service as an "Islamic State affiliate," began attacking teachers and students who were inside the school's dormitories, officials said.
Many of the bodies recovered were found burned to death after ADF soldiers set the dormitories on fire, according to a statement from Ugandan military spokesman Felix Kulayigye. Some of the students were also hacked to death by the ADF with machetes, Kulayigye told CNN.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Of the deceased, 39 were students and two were local community members. Kulayigye told CNN there had been 62 people inside the school complex when the attack commenced. Another six people were also abducted and are currently being searched for, officials added.
The violence was widely condemned both domestically and internationally, with Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine tweeting his hope "that investigations can begin in earnest so that the perpetrators of this crime face justice."
The attack marks the latest in the continuing conflict between the ADF and a joint Ugandan-Congolese operation to eliminate them. The two governments have provided few details on the operation, though they have claimed to have weakened the ADF via airstrikes. Regional observers, though, told The New York Times they were doubtful the attacks have put much of a dent in the ADF, saying that the organization has "continued to wreak havoc in eastern Congo...where rebel groups have overseen a wave of massacres and widespread destruction for decades."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Justin Klawans is a staff writer at The Week. Based in Chicago, he was previously a breaking news reporter for Newsweek, writing breaking news and features for verticals including politics, U.S. and global affairs, business, crime, sports, and more. His reporting has been cited on many online platforms, in addition to CBS' The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
He is also passionate about entertainment and sports news, and has covered film, television, and casting news as a freelancer for outlets like Collider and United Press International, as well as Chicago sports news for Fansided.
-
10 things you need to know today: September 26, 2023
Daily Briefing Congress returns to work with shutdown looming, Ukraine says it killed Russia's Black Sea Fleet commander, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Why the Roman Empire is suddenly everywhere online
The Explainer It fell more than 1,500 years ago — so why is it dominating social media?
By Justin Klawans Published
-
How climate change is going to change the insurance industry
The Explainer Some regions will soon be 'uninsurable'
By Devika Rao Published
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs say
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign port
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
The US will soon finish destroying its last chemical weapons
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Putin and Prigozhin offer rival explanations for Wagner's brief rebellion
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
The future of the Wagner Group is murky
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Wagner Group stops armed rebellion toward Moscow
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published