At least twenty-five people have died in a "terrorist attack" on a school in western Uganda, the police spokesman for the East African country said Saturday (June 17th).
"So far, 25 bodies have been recovered from the school and transferred to Bwera hospital," spokesman Fred Enanga said, referring to a town near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Enanga said the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia based in eastern Bwera, attacked a secondary school near Bwera where "a dormitory was burned and a food store looted."
"Eight victims were found and are still in critical condition at Bwera hospital," he added.
Local branch of the Islamic State group
The army and police were chasing the attackers towards Virunga National Park, across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the ADF is based.
Initially insurgent in Uganda, the ADF gained a foothold in eastern DRC in the 1990s and has since been accused of killing thousands of civilians.
Since 2019, some ADF attacks in this part of DRC have been claimed by the Islamic State group, which describes the fighters as a local branch, the Islamic State Province in Central Africa.
>> Read also: What are the main armed groups active in eastern Congo?
With AFP
The summary of the week France 24 invites you to look back on the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news with you everywhere! Download the France 24 app