West Bengal resident shares harrowing account of Uganda school attack

Debdatta Mukherjee, a resident of Uttarpara in West Bengal's Hooghly district, has recently experienced a life-altering event while working on a road project in Uganda. In a shocking turn of events over the past 48 hours, armed rebels launched a brutal attack on a school in Western Uganda located just a kilometer away from Mukherjee's residence, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 41 lives, predominantly students.

“It is like living under constant threat. I have been working in Uganda for 11 months and have never faced such a situation before. We have security here, but that can be breached by the rebels anytime,” Mukherjee told Times of India over the phone.

The attack was carried out by a group of approximately 20 rebels associated with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an organization linked to ISIS. The targeted school, Lhubirira Secondary School in Western Uganda, fell victim to the rebels' aggression.


“There was another attack even closer to our quarters. We could hear bullets being fired,” Mukherjee said.

Following theincident, security measures were immediately reinforced to ensure the safety of the road project workers.

“Rebel attacks are nothing new here, but not in the area where the road project has been taken up. Normally, we move in bullet-proof vehicles and the quarters are located on a fenced campus guarded by the Uganda People’s Defence Force — the armed forces. None is allowed to move alone as abductions can happen,” Mukherjee said.

The horrifying attack unfolded around 11 pm on Friday, as the rebels ruthlessly slit throats with machetes and set houses ablaze, leading to the deaths of numerous individuals who were trapped and burned alive.

“Gunshots could be heard even on Saturday night. Although we stay in an enclosed area, the project site is not secured. There could be attacks any time and rebels can outnumber the army,” said Mukherjee.

Mukherjee, an engineer, had arrived in Uganda to contribute to a significant road project that aimed to connect Kasindi in Uganda with Beni in Congo.

(with inputs from ToI)