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Mumbere speaks out on Kasese school attack
Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere. PHOTO | ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- At about 10.40 pm last Friday, 42 people, including 37 students, were either hacked or burnt to death by suspected ADF militants during a shocking raid on Lhubiriha Secondary School.
Eight days after the government dropped treason and terrorism charges against him, Rwenzururu king, Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere Iremangoma, yesterday wondered how the chilling attack on Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Secondary School took place with the army deployed nearby.
Sounding rather distressed, the king condemned the attack, applauded the quick response of the government on Saturday. But he also asked how Lhubiriha’s students, who he touchingly described as “innocents” and “angels”, died with nobody coming to their rescue.
The king wondered how the attackers went on rampage unchallenged and yet there is an army detachment reportedly encamped two kilometres away from the school at Kamukumbi, and also given the reported heavy security presence along the Mpondwe border area.
King’s concerns
“I hear there are a lot of security detach installations along the border. I hear there is [an army] detach about two kilometres from the school. Why would they not hear the bullets? I also hear that a grenade was detonated at the school,” Omusinga Mumbere said during an interview yesterday.
There is a considerably heavy deployment of security forces in parts of Rwenzori sub-region, including Kasese. These assets are backing the army’s ongoing counterinsurgency operations -- launched in November 2021 against remnants of the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terror group -- across the border in DR Congo.
At about 10.40 pm last Friday, 42 people, including 37 students, were either hacked or burnt to death by suspected ADF militants during a shocking raid on Lhubiriha Secondary School.
The unchallenged orgy of killing has raised questions amongst grief-stricken locals similar to the incredulity expressed by the Omusinga who, however, asked his subjects to remain vigilant and always report suspicious individuals to the army.
Lhubiriha is located in an area which falls under Rwenzururu Kingdom in southwestern Uganda, where Omusinga Mumbere is cultural head.
Between 1995 when ADF was formed from a coalition of anti-government rebels, and the mid-2000s, the sub-region was wracked by bloody ADF attacks which led to the death of scores of civilians.
It also suffered much loss of life, property and dislocation of communities due to parallel fighting waged by a separatist militia pushing to establish the ‘Yiira Republic’ in Omusinga’s domain. The Rwenzuru kingdom stretches across Kasese and Bundibugyo districts and straddles areas along the Uganda-DR Congo border.
Yesterday, Omusinga Mumbere, who years ago denounced any links with the separatist cause, said he is deeply pained and has not stopped crying since being informed of the sickening manner of the killing on Saturday.
“Rwenzori region, when shall we see mass killing stopping in this area?” the distraught king lamented. “Let security investigate to find out what led to the killing. What is the interest of those who killed our innocent people? Many people, including the Pope, have grieved with the families. Many people are sending me pictures, asking me what has happened.”
“… They knew they were killing angels, students are very innocent people who are preparing to have a bright future,” he said.
Drawing from the Biblical story of creation, Omusinga Mumbere said he was “wondering if these people were created in God’s image”, and promised that Rwenzururu will one day erect a statue at Lhubiriha, after consultations with government, in memory of the dead.
The king reminded his people of how the ADF was dislodged from the sub-region with the participation of the locals “who joined the army, pinpointing any suspicious person”.
Gen Saleh ties
Separately, the Omusinga briefly spoke about how President Museveni’s younger brother, Gen (Rtd) Caleb Akandanwaho (aka Salim Saleh), helped secure his release from prosecution along with 217 royal guards.
The king and guards were arrested in November 2016 following deadly confrontations between some of his subjects and police, culminating in the military assault on his Buhikira Palace.
