As the Death Toll Rises to 41 Killed at a School in Uganda, Africa, Pope Francis Calls Everyone to Pray for Peace


On the night of June 17-18 the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces)  attacked a school, killing at least 41 people, mostly teen students, and kidnapping at least 6 students. had been in the area for at least two days. Several buildings were burned down.
Pope Francis offers his prayers for young victims killed in a "brutal attack" at a school in Uganda. At least 41 are dead and the attackers are said to be fleeing to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Encouraging everyone to "pray for peace," Pope Francis at his first Sunday Angelus since being released from Rome's Gemelli Hospital turned his thoughts to the young students who were victims of a "brutal attack" on a school in western Uganda. The Pope asked everyone to pray for peace wherever there is tension and war.
It was the ADF group (Islamic extremists according to the BBC report) that committed the massacre at the Lhubiriha secondary school (Kasese district, western Uganda).

According to General Prit Olum, a commander in the Ugandan army,  the attack on the school, which is located a few kilometers from the Congolese border, is in response to the offensive launched some time ago by the Congolese and Ugandan armed forces against the ADF in the DRC territory.  The latest acts of terrorism attributed to the ADF in Uganda date back to 2021, with a series of bombings in the capital, Kampala, and a subsequent failed assault attempt on the town of Ntoroko in December 2022. The statements by the senior Ugandan official raise questions about the effectiveness of the Ugandan security forces.  First Lady Janet Museveni, who is also Education Minister, has stated that "there is a feeling that perhaps the terrorist group has been used by people who want to take over the school", citing an old rivalry between some members of the local community and Canadian sponsors for school property. (L.M.) (Edited from Agenzia Fides, 19/6/2023 and Vatican News)

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