A woman who resides across the street from a school in Uganda claims that students were singing gospel songs prior to Friday's attack by Islamist militants.
Mary Masika told the sources she then heard screams. The vicious attack in Mpondwe resulted in the deaths of approximately 40 people. Militants with ties to the Islamic State have been condemned for the attack.
In the 1990s, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) accused President Yoweri Museveni of persecuting Muslims and took up arms against him. They are currently primarily located in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Friday's assault on Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School occurred close to the border. Ms. Masika claims that she and other inhabitants were rendered terrified by the 90-minute attack.
A woman who lives across the street from a school in Uganda alleges that pupils were singing gospel songs prior to the attack by Islamist terrorists on Friday. The attack took place at the school.
Their other son, Brian Muhindo, who was 15 years old and attended the same school, has been reported missing. They are uncertain as to whether he is one of the six youngsters that were kidnapped or one of the victims whose bodies were severely burned and hence cannot be identified.
Hurubana Kimadi Onesmus was unable to fathom how the attackers were able to get into the school where his son worked as a security officer and where his grandsons were studying. The 69-year-old stated, "There is a very heavy military presence in the area." Now there is heightened security at the school. It was a tragic and distressing situation.
There is still a great deal of crusted blood on the ground outside the girls' dormitory; they were attacked with machetes and others were shot dead as they fled. Either the boys had refused to open the dormitory to the revolutionaries or the rebels had locked the boys inside. The militants poured gasoline on the structure and set it on fire.
Inside, the stench of death is undeniable he mattresses have been reduced to wire mesh with bits of flesh still clinging to them. Ms. Masika reported that towards the end of the assault, at approximately 23:30, she heard one of the attackers speaking at her gate and asking a fellow combatant if "the job was done."
They were speaking Swahili, the regional language, and then began chanting "Allahu Akbar," which means "God is greatest." She stated that after these chants, one of the protesters added, "We have successfully destabilized Museveni's country."
In response, President Museveni pledged to send additional troops to the Rwenzori Mountains, which border Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stating, "Their action... the desperate, cowardly, terrorist action... will not save them."
Around Mpondwe, there appears to be a mixture of Christians and Muslims. Sunday's funerals were attended by individuals clad in traditional Muslim garb. Other funerals for the students killed in the attack were conducted in villages throughout the region, with the majority of residents stunned and distressed by the attack's brutality.