Pope asks for prayers as dozens of schoolchildren massacred in Uganda

Pope asks for prayers as dozens of schoolchildren massacred in Uganda
Ugandan security forces stand guard as locals gather at the cordoned scene outside the Lhubirira Secondary School on June 17. Photo: OSV News/Reuters

KASESE (OSV News): Just before midnight on June 16, Ugandan schoolchildren between the ages of 13 and 18 were killed by rebels, suspected to be members of the Allied Democratic Forces [ADF]. The militants swooped into the Lhubiriha Secondary School in the town of Mpondwe, near the border with Congo, killing at least 39 students and two community.

Some victims were shot, many were hacked with machetes and others burnt to death when the dormitories where they lived were set ablaze, according to Father Sunday Augustine Masereka, director of the communications office in the Diocese of Kasese, located near the site of the recent attack. 

At least six students were abducted in the attack and forced to carry food that the rebels stole from the school’s stores.

“There were 62 children in the school,” Father Masereka told Vatican Radio.

Pope Francis, in his first public appearance and Angelus prayer after returning from Gemelli hospital on June 16, prayed for the victims of the attack on June 18: “I pray also for the young students, victims of the brutal attack against a school in the west of Uganda. This battle, this war everywhere … let us pray for peace!”

Uganda’’s first lady, Janet Museveni, in a statement posted on Twitter om June 17 said, “On behalf of the Ugandan government… I extend heartfelt condolences to the families, students, staff of Lhubiliriha Secondary School and the broader community affected by this tragedy,” 

Some victims were shot, many were hacked with machetes and others burnt to death when the dormitories where they lived were set ablaze, according to Father Sunday Augustine Masereka, director of the communications office in the Diocese of Kasese

Museveni added, “We call upon everyone to offer prayers for the affected families and community while also urging vigilance to uphold the safety of our children in schools.” 

Antonio Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, extended “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims and called for the release of those abducted. “Those responsible for this appalling act must be brought to justice,” his statement read.

Guterres called for their immediate release and underlined “the importance of collective efforts to tackle cross border insecurity between Congo and Uganda and restore durable peace in the area.”

The ADF is a shadowy rebel group linked to the Islamic State established in the 1990s. The Ugandan military launched attacks on it, forcing it to relocate into Eastern Congo, where the absence of state authority has allowed several rebel groups to operate and thrive.

In 2021, the Ugandan military deployed troops to Eastern Congo to help the Congolese army fight off the rebels and reestablish state authority.

Father Masereka said the attack had retaliatory intent.

“Our military went to the Congo to help, and people there welcomed them, but it’s a real surprise that the rebels now escape from Congo to attack Uganda,” the priest told Vatican Radio.

He said the recent attack on Uganda and the repeated attacks across the border with Congo have created fear among the people.

“This time, they have come to attack children in a boarding school, and people are very much afraid at both the Uganda and Congolese sides of the borders.”

He recalled that in the past, such attacks had tended to target churches, citing the 1996 attack in which a seminary was attacked and seminarians either killed or kidnapped.

The priest said it was critical that a spotlight be shone on what’s going on in Congo, because “people are dying silently in the Congo. The media only talks when there is an attack.”

He said there is a need for an inclusive dialogue because “people continue to die, and guns aren’t solving anything. It’s the ordinary people dying every day. So, if they [the belligerents] can come together and have peace talks, maybe it can yield something.”

___________________________________________________________________________