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'We dey hear gospel songs den screaming' - Woman tok of Uganda school attack

Mary Masika, wey dey live opposite di school say she dey often hear di students sing bifo bedtime

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 Source: BBC

Pupils for Uganda bin dey sing gospel songs bifo one deadly attack by Islamist militants shelle on Friday, one woman wey dey live opposite di school tok.

"Den I hear screaming," Mary Masika tell BBC. Di violent attack for Mpondwe leave about 40 pipo dead.

Islamic State-linked militants don chop blame for di attack.

Di Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) dey created for di 1990s and take up arms against President Yoweri Museveni, wit allege say e dey oppress of Muslims.

Dey now largely base for neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Di Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School wey dey attacked on Friday dey close to border.

Ms Masika tok say she and oda residents dey for shock sake of di attack wey last for about 90 minutes.

"I no dey able to eat or sleep since den," she bin tell BBC for Swahili.

Di students always sing bifo bedtime - and at first she and her daughter think di noise wey interrupt dia songs around 22:00 (20:00 GMT) suggest suggest say dem dey get small fun.

But e soon become clear say something horrific go happun for di school, wey get around 60 boarders wey live for small compound.

ADF rebels bin enter dormitories, set fire to dem and use machetes to kill and maim students.

One family for Mpondwe hold di funerals on Sunday for one father and son wey die for di attack - 47-year-old security guard Elphanas Mbusa and 17-year-old Masereka Elton.

Dia oda son, 15-year-old Brian Muhindo wey also dey attend di school, dey miss. Dem no know weda e dey among di six boys wey dey kidnapped or one of those wey dem no fit identify dia bodi sake of dem burn badly.

Hurubana Kimadi Onesmus tell BBC e find am difficult to understand how di attackers dey able to invade di school wia im son, di security guard, work and wia im grandsons dey study.

"E get very heavy military presence for di area," di 69-year-old tok.

Now e get plenti security for di school - and di BBC team bin only get few minutes to take some fotos of di buildings wey burn.

Na one destructive and upsetting scene.

Plenti dry blood still dey for ground outside di girls' dormitory – dem attack dem wit machetes and dem shoot odas dead as dey run away.

Di boys dormitory bin dey locked - dey bin either no gree open am to di rebels or dey lock am inside by themselves. Di militants pour fuel on di building and set am on fire.

Inside, di smell of death dey unmistakeable - beds don dey reduced to wire mesh wit pieces of flesh still stick to dem.

Ms Masika tok say around wen di attack wan end, for around 23:30, she bin hear one of di assailants dey talk for her gate and dey ask one fellow fighter if "di job don done".

Dem bin dey talk for Swahili - di lingua franca for di region - and afterwards begin to shout "Allahu Akbar",e mean "God be di greatest".

She tok say afta dis chants one of dem add: "We don succeed to destabilise Museveni kontri."

For response, President Museveni swear say im go send more troops to Rwenzori Mountains, wey dey along di border between Uganda and di DR Congo, say: "Dia action... di desperate, cowardly, terrorist action... no go save dem."

Di area around Mpondwe be like mix of Christians and Muslims. Some of those wey dey attend di funerals on Sunday bin wear traditional Muslim attire.

Oda funerals for di pupils wey dey killed for di attack bin hold for villages across di region, wit most pipo wey dey speechless and pained by di brutality of di assault.

Source: BBC