AU Commission chairperson condemns terror attack in western Uganda

ADDIS ABABA, June 18 (Xinhua) --

Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has issued a statement condemning a terror attack in western Uganda that has killed dozens of students.

In a press statement released late Saturday, Faki said he strongly condemns the heinous and shocking terrorist attack by suspected Allied Democratic Force (ADF) militia that targeted a secondary school in western Uganda, near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

"The AU Commission chairperson expresses his sincere condolences to the loved ones of the victims, and wishes a full recovery to the injured students," the statement said.

"The chairperson reiterates the need for an urgent holistic regional approach to address the threat posed by all terrorist and armed groups operating from the DRC, to ensure regional security," the statement further said.

Faki also affirmed the AU's continued and unwavering solidarity with the Ugandan government and people.

The ADF rebels attacked a secondary school in southwestern Uganda on Friday night, killing more than 40 people, including 37 students.

The ADF, which is a branch of the Islamic State in Central Africa, is a Ugandan rebel group that is holed up in the jungles of eastern DRC. The rebel group is blamed for causing havoc in villages in eastern DRC.

The Ugandan military and their Congolese counterparts launched joint operations against the rebel group in November 2021 shortly after the ADF launched bomb attacks in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.