Police arrests suspected ADF recruit

The suspect has been identified as Ashiraf Ssempebwa, a native of Nakabiso village, Kavule Parish, Mpigi district.

According to Fred Enanga, a police spokesperson, the suspect was apprehended alongside his wife, Fatuma Nansamba, 21, and their two children, aged 3 and 6 months, as they attempted to sneak into the DRC to join other ADF militants.

Enanga promised the public that police and other security services would continue to use their experience and capacities to battle all forms of violent extremism that pose a threat to the country's security.

This comes after the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Congolese army (FARDC) killed one suspected ADF rebel and recovered one submachine gun, one mortar, 44 rounds of ammunition, and four military radios in a joint operation on Monday night.

According to Maj. Bilal Katamba, the UPDF Mountain Division's spokesperson, the clash occurred near Ndalia, north-east of Erenget town, in the DRC's Ituri Province.

On Friday, June 16, 2023, the Lhubiriha secondary school was assaulted by alleged ADF rebels, who killed 42 people, including 37 kids.

The perpetrators, according to the authorities, used machetes to attack the girls and set fire to the boys' dormitories. 17 male students' charred bodies were found. Six people managed to live with injuries and are currently receiving care at various hospitals across the nation. Only 23 bodies have been given to families for burial, despite the fact that 25 have been inspected and identified so far.

The victims were students, ranging in age from 12 to 25.

The rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces have attacked Uganda in the past. In 25 years, this was the first attack on a school by the ADF.

58 students were killed when the ADF assaulted the Kabarole district's Kichwamba National Technical Institute in June 1998. Students had barricaded themselves in a dormitory at that time to prevent being kidnapped, and the rebels replied by torching the building. Approximately 100 students were kidnapped.