🏫💥 Uganda School Kine Big-time Pow! At Least 37 No More Life
Da big-time pow dat wen hit one school in Uganda, one of da most deadliest in many years, da law peeps say was da work of da Allied Democratic Forces, one mean kine group based in da next door Congo. 🇨🇩💣
Had at least 37 peeps wen kick da bucket — plenny of dem was students — and had eight more dat wen get hurt real bad when da mean kine group guys wen pow da secondary school in west side Uganda, so da law peeps say on top Saturday. One of da most deadliest terrorist kind pow in East Africa nation in plenny years. 🇺🇬💔
Da mean kine group, we know um as da Allied Democratic Forces, wen go pow da school Friday night in Mpondwe, one small-kine town by da border with da Democratic Republic of Congo, one cop guy wen tweet. During da pow, one dormitory wen get all burned up and da food from da store wen get stolen, da cop guy, Fred Enanga, say. All eight who wen get hurt were in da hospital in real bad shape, he wen add. 🌃🔥
Three peeps got rescued, but six students wen get kidnapped, one military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Felix Kulayigye, say in one statement. Da pow, dat started around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, was done by like five mean kine group guys, da law peeps say. ⏰🚁
Mean kine group guys from da same group wen do one pow in Uganda late 2021, wen suicide bombers wen blow up stuff coordinated kine in da capital, Kampala, dat wen kill three peeps, and made everybody scared about da reach of da Allied Democratic Forces and made da Uganda law peeps get all mixed up. 💥😱
Da pow dis weekend, everybody wen say was real bad, like da lawmakers, da opposition guys, and da Western embassies, who wen tell da government fo make new rules so dat no mo dis kine stuff going happen in da future. 🏛️🙏
“We hoping dat da investigations can start right now so dat da guys dat wen do dis crime gotta face da music,” Bobi Wine, one Uganda music guy turned opposition leader, say on top Twitter. 🕵️♀️⚖️
On top Saturday afternoon, had pics and videos shared on top social media and da TV showed one big military guys by da school when da help workers wen come. General Kulayigye say da head guy of da country’s defense forces and da boss of da land forces was planning for visit da area. Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, also wen tell guys from the Ministry of Education fo go check out da school. 📸🎒
Da Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School, one private school only miles from da busy border crossing with Congo. Da school stay bout 200 miles from Kampala, in one poor farming community where plenny families grow and sell crops, including maize and cassava. 🌽🏞️
Plenny of da schools in Uganda, both public and private, get dormitories for boarding students. Pics and videos from da school on top Saturday showed da windows and da roofs of da dormitories all black with soot. 🏫🔥
Maj. Gen. Dick Olum, da boss of Uganda’s military operation in Congo, wen say at one meeting with da locals dat da rebel members had stayed two nights in da town befo da pow at da school. He say dat some of da students wen get burned or wen get cut up to death, and dat da government guys gonna do DNA tests fo identify da burned bodies. 🧪🔍
Uganda officials say da army and da police chasing da pow guys, who wen run go da Virunga National Park, one thick forest in da next door Congo dat get endangered mountain gorillas. Da mean kine guys wen use da kidnapped students fo carry da stolen food, da military say. 🌳🦍
Da government wen send planes in da search, General Olum say. He also wen tell da town’s peeps fo stay sharp and report any kine funny business. 🛩️👀
Da fact dat dis pow wen happen, da general say, “is one very shame kine thing.” 😔💔
From 2021, da Uganda government, together with da Congo government, wen start one kine attack on top da Allied Democratic Forces, with da goal of kicking da group out from its bases in east Congo. 🗺️⚔️
Da two governments neva say too much about da military fight, only saying dat air and artillery wen make da group weaker, which at one time wen swear allegiance to da Islamic State. 🛩️💥
But da peeps dat watch da region neva really believe dat da operation, dey call um Shujaa, or “Bravery,” wen do good, saying dat da Allied Democratic Forces still wen cause big trouble in east Congo, one lush, mineral-rich area where more than 100 rebel groups wen run wild causing massacres and all kine destruction for decades. 💎🌳
Da smart kine peeps also say dat Mr. Museveni, who been da boss for almost four decades, was using da operation for make him look good and fo make sure da oil fields dat dey digging near da border with Congo stay secure. 🛢️🔒
Da Allied Democratic Forces wen get started in east Congo in 1995 by two groups dat no like Mr. Museveni, one of dem was one Islamist sect. Da group also wen get support from leaders in odda countries, including Sudan and Congo, who wen try fo bring down Mr. Museveni’s rule. 🗓️🤝
In 1998, rebels dat was with da group wen pow one college in west Uganda, killing 80 students and kidnapping 100 more. But starting in 2011, big-time attacks wen happen by da Ugandans, da Congolese and United Nations peacekeeping forces wen make da group go deeper into da mountainous Ruwenzori region dat borders Uganda and Congo. ⛰️🕊️
Da group’s old-time leader, Jamil Mukulu, wen get captured in Tanzania in 2015 and then wen get sent to Uganda. 🚔🌍
Da group still wen continue fo do even more mean kine pows. Ova da past few years, dey been getting new members, even kids; wen pow peacekeepers; wen break jail; and wen do sexual violence, according to da United Nations. 👨👩👧👦🚨
Dey also wen swear allegiance to da Islamic State, which in 2019 wen do its first pow in Congo. In 2021, da United States wen say da Allied Democratic Forces a terrorist organization and wen offer a reward of up to $5 million for information on da group’s new leader, Seka Musa Baluku. 💰📝
But while get some money kine connections and ideological similarities between da two entities, regional peeps dat watch and United Nations experts say no get “conclusive evidence” of da Islamic State’s commanding or controlling da group’s operations. 🧐🔍
Friday’s pow, da peeps say, showed how da group rely on sudden pows and guerrilla tactics fo do lethal kine attacks. 💣🔪
“Plus, da A.D.F.’s ability to blend with da regular peeps allows them to lay low when need to, and to come back when conditions more better,” said Michael Mutyaba, a Ugandan researcher and political analyst. “This why it’s proving resilient.” 🌾👥
NOW IN ENGLISH
🏫💥 Uganda’s School Pow! At Least 37 Lives Lost
A devastating attack struck a school in Uganda, one of the deadliest incidents in recent memory, with authorities attributing the violence to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a notorious extremist group based in neighboring Congo. The tragic event unfolded when the ADF militants launched a brutal assault on a secondary school in western Uganda, claiming the lives of at least 37 individuals, many of whom were students. This terrorist attack stands as one of the most severe in East Africa in years. 🇺🇬💔
The Allied Democratic Forces, known as ADF, targeted the school in Mpondwe, a small town near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to a police spokesperson’s tweet, the attack occurred on Friday night. The militants set fire to a dormitory and looted the school’s food store, causing significant destruction. Eight individuals who sustained critical injuries were rushed to the hospital for urgent medical care. Brigadier General Felix Kulayigye, a military spokesperson, confirmed that six students were abducted during the assault, while three others were fortunately rescued. Authorities estimate that around five militants were involved in the attack, which commenced around 11:30 p.m. on Friday. ⏰🚁
In late 2021, the same extremist group carried out a prior attack in Uganda. Suicide bombers orchestrated coordinated explosions in the capital city, Kampala, claiming three innocent lives. These incidents have raised concerns about the reach and capabilities of the Allied Democratic Forces, posing a significant challenge to the Ugandan government. The recent school attack has been met with widespread condemnation from lawmakers, opposition parties, and Western embassies, all of whom are urging the government to implement preventative measures to avoid future tragedies. 🏛️🙏
Ugandan musician turned opposition leader, Bobi Wine, expressed his hopes for a swift and thorough investigation to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime face justice. Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon, images and videos circulated on social media and television, showcasing a strong military presence near the school as aid workers arrived to provide assistance. General Kulayigye announced that the Chief of Defense Forces and the Commander of the Land Forces were scheduled to visit the affected area. President Yoweri Museveni instructed officials from the Ministry of Education to inspect the school and assess the situation firsthand. 📸🎒
Located just a few miles from the bustling border crossing with Congo, Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School is a private institution situated approximately 200 miles away from Kampala. The school serves a poor farming community where families rely on agricultural activities, such as maize and cassava cultivation, for their livelihoods. Many schools in Uganda, both public and private, provide dormitory facilities for boarding students. Disturbing photographs and videos from the school reveal the charred windows and roofs of the dormitories, evidence of the intense blaze that engulfed the premises. 🏫🔥
During a meeting with local residents, Major General Dick Olum, who leads Uganda’s military operation in Congo, revealed that rebel members had spent two nights in the town before launching the attack on the school. He described the horrifying scene of students being burned or brutally attacked, noting that government pathologists would conduct DNA tests to identify the charred remains. Ugandan officials confirmed that the army and police are actively pursuing the attackers, who fled towards the Virunga National Park in Congo, a dense forest habitat for endangered mountain gorillas. The militants reportedly exploited the kidnapped students to transport the looted food. 🌳🦍
To aid in the search, the Ugandan government has deployed planes, and General Olum urged the town’s residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities. The general expressed deep shame over the occurrence of such a devastating attack. Since 2021, the Ugandan government, in collaboration with the Congolese government, has been engaged in a joint offensive against the ADF. The operation, codenamed “Shujaa” meaning “Bravery,” aims to dismantle the ADF’s bases in eastern Congo. However, details of the military campaign have been limited, with reports indicating that airstrikes and artillery strikes have weakened the group. The ADF, which once pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, continues to wreak havoc in the mineral-rich region of eastern Congo, where numerous rebel groups have caused widespread destruction and mass atrocities for decades. 💎🌳
Some regional observers and experts doubt the effectiveness of the operation, suggesting that President Museveni, who has been in power for almost four decades, may be utilizing the campaign to enhance his image and secure the oil fields near the Congo border. The ADF was established in 1995 in eastern Congo by two groups opposing President Museveni, including an Islamist sect. The group received support from leaders in Sudan and Congo who sought to undermine Museveni’s rule. In 1998, rebels affiliated with the ADF carried out an attack on a college in western Uganda, resulting in the deaths of 80 students and the abduction of 100 others. Despite subsequent offensives conducted by Ugandan, Congolese, and UN peacekeeping forces, the ADF persisted and continued to carry out vicious attacks, recruiting new members, engaging in sexual violence, and targeting peacekeepers. While the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, the extent of their operational connection remains inconclusive. 👨👩👧👦🚨
Friday’s attack showcases the ADF’s reliance on sporadic assaults and guerrilla tactics to execute deadly onslaughts. The group’s ability to blend in with civilian populations allows them to hide when necessary and resurface when conditions are favorable. These factors contribute to their resilience and the ongoing security challenges they pose in the region. The international community awaits further developments as investigations into this tragic incident continue. 🧐🔍
