At least 25 Killed and 8 Critically Injured in Suspected Rebel Attack on Secondary School Near Congo Border

At least 25 people were killed and eight others were critically injured in a suspected rebel attack on a secondary school near the border with Congo, the local mayor said Saturday.

According to Selevest Mapoze, the mayor of Mpondwe-Lhubiriha, the victims included students, one guard and two members of the local community who were killed outside the school. The Ugandan police said in a statement that the Allied Democratic Forces carried out the attack late Friday night.

The victims suffered fatal burns when the rebels set fire to a dormitory and others were shot or hacked with machetes. At least six people were also abducted by the rebels, who fled across the porous border into Congo after the raid on Friday night, according to the Ugandan military.

The secondary school is located about 1.2 miles from the Congo border. The raid, which happened around 11:30 p.m., involved about five attackers, the Ugandan military said. Soldiers from a nearby brigade who responded to the attack were able to rescue some of the students and staff.

The Ugandan government has condemned the attack and is working with the Congolese government to apprehend the attackers. The government has also deployed additional security forces to the area to ensure the safety of the local community.