June 16 marked the one-year anniversary of a sickening terror attack at a Christian boarding school in western Uganda, in which Islamist terrorists murdered 42 people.
On June 16, 2023, the Islamist “Allied Democratic Forces” (ADF), based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), invaded the compound of the private Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School in Uganda’s Kasese District.
Islamic militants firebombed student dormitories; students fleeing the fire were either gunned down or hacked to death with machetes. Students trapped in the dormitories burned to death as the terrorists shouted “Allahu akbar!” (“Allah is the greatest!”). Some of the victims’ bodies, burnt beyond recognition, required DNA testing to identify them. Six students were kidnapped.
During the 90-minute attack, 42 people were murdered, including 38 students, a school guard, and three local residents. According to the police, the victims’ ages ranged from 12 to 95.
The BBC reported that the schoolchildren were singing gospel songs before the attack. Mary Masika, a woman who lives opposite the school, said then she heard screaming:
“The students usually sing before bedtime – and at first she and her daughter thought the noise that interrupted their songs at around 22:00 (20:00 GMT) suggested that they were having a bit of fun. But it soon became clear that something horrific was under way at the school, which had around 60 boarders living in a small compound. ADF rebels had entered dormitories, setting fire to them and using machetes to kill and maim students.
“One family in Mpondwe held the funerals for a father and son killed in the attack – 47-year-old security guard Elphanas Mbusa and 17-year-old Masereka Elton. Their other son, 15-year-old Brian Muhindo who was also attending the school, is missing. They do not know if he is among the six boys kidnapped or one of those whose bodies cannot be identified because they have been burned so badly.
“It was a devastating and upsetting scene. Lots of dried blood is still on the ground outside the girls’ dormitory — they had been attacked with machetes and others shot dead as they ran away. The boys’ dormitory had been locked — they had either refused to open it to the rebels or they were locked inside by them. The militants poured fuel on the building and set it alight. Inside, the smell of death is unmistakable — beds have been reduced to wire mesh with pieces of flesh still stuck to them.
Open Doors, which monitors the persecution of Christians worldwide, reports:
“ADF-NALU, formed in 1995, aims to establish an Islamic state in Uganda and has been a recurrent source of violence. Its founder, Jamil Mukulu, was arrested in 2015 and faces multiple charges, including terrorism. ADF-NALU operatives, trained in North Kivu (DRC), continue to infiltrate Uganda. ADF-NALU has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Meanwhile, ISIS has also claimed responsibility for various attacks.
“Their brutal attacks, such as the one on the Christian boarding school in June 2023, have instilled widespread fear and trauma, undermining the security of Christians and other religious minorities.”
Open Doors further explains:
“In parts of Uganda, especially in the eastern region where the Muslim community makes up the majority, the hostility faced by Christians, particularly by converts from Islam, is severe. Christians in these areas are frequently targeted for bullying and harassment that can escalate to severe consequences like community expulsion, physical assaults, and in extreme cases, even killings.”
More recently, on March 30, a Christian man named Ronald Twinomugisha was murdered by Muslims in Busei B village in Iganga District for converting Muslims to Christianity. Twinomugisha had received threats by text message from Muslims before they hacked him to death.
The Christian Post reported that Twinomugisha had moved to the area from western Uganda in February 2022, and by the end of 2023, he had led four Muslims to Christianity. The four former Muslims relocated elsewhere due to threats from their families.
Converts from Islam to Christianity in Uganda face ostracism, expulsion, house arrest or physical violence from their families and local community.
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