The Allied Democratic Forces, a militia connected with the Islamic state group, have been held responsible for the alleged killing of 42 people in a secondary school in western Uganda.
Eight others were also seriously injured in the attack, with 15 children abducted, according to police and local authorities sources.
The onslaught happened on Friday night in the town of Mpondwe close to the boarder of Democratic Republic of Congo.
An official source disclosed that the Uganda army was chasing the militants for reprisal.
According to a spokesperson, the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has censured the attack, calling for the perpetrators to be brought to book.
European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Representative, Josep Borrell, while reacting to the incident, also described the attack as ‘appalling.’
“This terrorist violence targeting children is beyond comprehension,” Borrell said in a tweet.
Media reports indicated that over the years, there have been series of attacks by the ADF and other Congolese militias in the boarder area of the two East Aftica countries.
Findings revealed that the ADF is at war with Uganda government and law enforcement for the rights of Muslims, whom the group claimed, were being relegated to the edge of the society.
It was also gathered that the group’s motive is to overthrow the government in Kampala, but reports have shown that the victims of ADF’s attack are mainly civilians.
In 1998 the group reportedly launched an attack on a university in the border region, which claimed 80 lives.