On Friday night to Saturday June 17, a bloody attack took place at Mpondwe Second School, known as Peter Hunter, located in Kasese District, Uganda. The first reports show 42 people killed by suspected ADF, knives and firearms were used for this massacre. The attackers also set fire to a high school dormitory, causing the disappearance of thirty learners.
The Ugandan army immediately launched operations to pursue the attackers towards the Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo where they are likely to have taken refuge.
This umpteenth attack on the border between Uganda and the DRC underlines the need to impose increased surveillance in this region as well as real coordination between the Congolese and Ugandan authorities.
Thus, it is urgent that the authorities rethink the security arrangements around the fragile border regions. Solutions must be found so that the populations no longer have to suffer from the terrorist threat which takes root on the border of Uganda and the DRC. Governments have a responsibility to protect their citizens from this senseless violence.
It has become clear that propaganda and partisan rhetoric are no longer enough to combat this violence. Regional cooperation must be strengthened to put an end to the actions of terrorist groups, in particular the alleged ADF, which continue to mourn these regions.