Libya Condemns Attack on School in Uganda, at Least 41 Deaths

On Sunday, the Libyan Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on a secondary school in southwestern Uganda that killed at least 41 people on Friday.

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"Libya stresses its support and solidarity with Uganda and offers its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, the government and the friendly people of Uganda," the ministry said in an official statement.

The ministry reiterated “Libya's firm position in condemnation of any terrorist or hate practices.”

The statement also expressed “Libya's support for regional and international efforts against such acts.”

Ugandan authorities claim that Friday’s attack in Mpondwe town, near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was done by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group that has pledged allegiance to ISIL (ISIS).

According to official statements, Ugandan forces are in pursuit of the rebels accused of killing at least 41 civilians, mostly students. “The worst attack in the country in more than a decade,” official statements claim.

Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s President, promised “to hunt the assailants into extinction”, stating that “their action – the desperate, cowardly, terrorist action – will not save them,” Museveni said in a statement, claiming to deploy more troops on the Ugandan side of the border.

Pope Francis offered a prayer on Sunday for “the young student victims of the brutal attack” that has “shocked Uganda and drawn international condemnation.”