The Uganda People’s Defence Force-UPDF has denied claims that three students of Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Secondary School that were abducted by the Allied Democratic Forces-ADF rebels had escaped from captivity.
Last week, suspected members of the ADF rebel group attacked the school resulting in the loss of at least 43 lives, including 37 students.
A section of the media reported last week quoted UPDF Spokesperson Gen. Felix Kulyaigye that the three children managed to escape and had been reunited with their parents.
But while addressing the community of Mpondwe at Mpondwe Muslim Secondary School, Maj. Gen Dick Olum, the Commander of Operation Shujja, said that from their investigations three students were abducted and the force is still pursuing the rebels to rescue them.
He added that during their pursuit they discovered a woman reportedly from Masaka with three children, whom they thought were learners from the school.
Meanwhile, Defence and Veteran Affairs Minister Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja has revealed that more than 500 Allied Democratic Force-ADF rebels have been killed since the inception of Operation Shujja in November 2021.
According to Ssempijja, another 50 rebels were captured while a number of other military hardware-including SMGs and RPGs were recovered.
