There was no bomb in the Mpondwe-Lhubiriha school attack- Army

The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) has dismissed reports that a bomb was detonated at the Mpondwe- Lhubiriha Secondary School leaving a number of boys locked up in the dormitory dead and burnt beyond recognition.

Armed people suspected to be from the Alliance Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group attacked the school last week, hacking to death and burning alive at least 40 students and their school gateman.

While reports have suggested that the ADF rebels used a bomb to break into the boy’s dormitory which they found locked, the army says there was no bomb used at the scene.

Speaking about the incidents, the army deputy spokesperson Lt Col Deo Akiiki said that “there was no evidence”.

“I would like to dispel the notion that a bomb was detonated on Lhubiriha School in Kasese, as no fragments of a bomb were found as evidence,” he said.

Akiiki also noted that there could be shortcomings in the intelligence of the army but urged they can not be blamed much for ensuring peace for a long time in the area, which may have brought a guarantee for the security and turned everyone blind to a possible attack.

“It has been almost 20 years since the ADF last posed a threat to these areas. While our intelligence may have some shortcomings, even the people of Kasese were living in peace and did not anticipate such an attack,” he said.

https://nilepost.co.ug/2023/06/23/uganda-army-intelligence-reports-contradict-on-kasese-school-attack/

Meanwhile, new intelligence reports by the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) claim that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels did not spend two nights in Kasese before attacking the school, but rather only 25 minutes.