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The UPDF Mountain Division’s primary role is to secure the Uganda-DRC border in the Rwenzori sub region and surrounding areas.
Olum was appointed to head this in October last year. On top of this task, he was also named Commander of the UPDF’s “Operation Shujaa” which has since 2021 been hunting down the ADF terrorists inside DRC.
Addressing residents on Saturday morning after the attack at Lhubiria SS in Karambi Sub County, Olum took the blame saying he became too occupied with the DRC operation.
“It is very sad that we lost our children; there was so much peace around here,” he said.
“I personally don't sit here, I sit in the DRC all the time. But to see that something of this magnitude happened back home, it is very shameful.”
On how the ADF planned the attack, Olum said preliminary information showed that the attackers were directed to the school by locals.
“One of them was brought by the local youths to scope the school. He established where the boys were sleeping and where the girls were sleeping and he went back,” he said.
Later in the night, Olum says, the terrorists came and hammered shut the boy’s dormitory and set it alight.
“The boys tried to fight to break out but they became weakened because the mattresses were already on fire. For the girls, they found when the dorm was open and they just hacked them to death. They then left with a few other students.”
The attackers, according to the commander, had been in the area for at least two days, and that they had earlier attempted to set some vehicles on fire but feared when they saw UPDF trucks.
Olum urged the residents to hunt down the youths who directed the terrorists to the school.
He also asked them to be on alert and to apprehend every person they don't understand in their area.
“Everyone should be on alert. If there is a person you don't recognize, that person should be apprehended. It is not that we are going to arrest them, just get them and take them to the LCs and say, "we don't know this person.”
President Yoweri Museveni has since dispatched officials from the Ministry of Education to offer support to the school.
The UPDF’s Chief of Defense Forces and Land Forces Commander are also on ground to assess the situation.