We Are Sending More Troops in the Mountain Brigade after Attacks on Primary School; Says Museveni.

President Museveni has finally addressed the attack on Lhubirira Secondary School in Mpondwe by ADF rebels, which resulted in the death of over 40 students and the abduction of several others. He denounced the attack as cowardly and emphasized that if the rebels had targeted the nearby military detachment instead, it would have been a confrontation between two armed forces rather than a terrorist act.
The president explained that due to air and artillery strikes, as well as offensives by the UPDF and FADRC armies in the DRC jungles, the ADF rebels have been scattered and are now operating in smaller groups. They have sought refuge in a vast area west of the Rwenzori, beyond the Beni-Eringeti-Komanda-Bunya Road, where they can avoid detection by Ugandan forces. President Museveni stated that the rebels prefer to splinter into small groups to evade detection, leading to desperate and futile acts of terrorism. He mentioned a previous incident on December 13, 2022, in Ntoroko when the ADF attempted a similar attack on unarmed civilians.
The president highlighted the Ugandan army's focus on targeting larger ADF groups initially and subsequently hunting down smaller splinter groups, particularly in the Mwalika Valley, south of the Rwenzori Mountain and south of the Kasindi-Beni Road, near Biruunga National Park in Congo, opposite Lake Edward (Rutshuru, Butuumbi).
He noted that key ADF leaders, such as Mulaalo and Rubaanga, have been eliminated in recent months, leading to the rebels resorting to desperate and cowardly actions like attacking a school. President Museveni expressed that the attack in Mpondwe could have been prevented with greater vigilance and alertness from the local community, as demonstrated in the previous attempted attack in Ntoroko. He announced the deployment of additional troops to the area south of the Rwenzori Mountain to enhance security and fill any gaps.
The president raised unanswered questions about the attack in Kasese, such as whether an alarm was sounded and how nearby security personnel responded. He also questioned the lack of intelligence about the splinter group from their counterparts in Congo.
Nevertheless, President Museveni asserted that the terrorists' desperate and cowardly actions would not save them, and he confirmed the deployment of new forces to Uganda while continuing operations on the Congolese side to pursue ADF rebels. “Their action, the desperate, cowardly, terrorist action, therefore, will not save them. We are bringing new forces to the Uganda side as we continue the hunting on the Congo side.”