Today in history: Kicwamba students massacred

UGANDA HISTORY  

WARNING: Some readers may find some of the pictures below disturbing.

Today marks 22 years since the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) massacred over 80 students of Kicwamba Technical College, in Kabarole district.

It was a Monday morning at around 5:00am on June 8, 1998, when the ADF rebels descended on the innocent students and massacred them mercilessly.

The rebels locked the students in their dormitories before setting them on fire using petrol.  The dormitories that were burnt are Kahaya, Rukiidi and Balya.

Twenty-seven students who were burnt beyond recognition were buried in a mass grave at the college. The grave bears the names of all the 27 students who were buried there.

The Government has since renovated the three dormitories that were burnt during the ADF attack and put up new structures.

"Thank you for remembering the day. It was a horrible time.  May the souls of the innocent young men rest in peace," said Beatrice Kiraso, who was the Woman MP of Kabarole when the college was attacked.

Kicwamba is located in Kabarole district on the slopes of Rwenzori Mountain where the rebels used to operate.  The college is about 14km from Fort Portal town.

It offers programmes leading to the award of National and Higher Diplomas in Engineering and ICT.

Security has been tightened with a permanent army Détaché at the school premises.

The ADF is a rebel group which operated in western Uganda in the Rwenzori mountains and caused a lot of havoc in the nineties, resulting in the suffering of the population in the area.

They committed atrocities against the local civilian population, driving them from their homes and farms in the mountains into lowland towns.

The group was defeated by the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and its remnants forced to DR Congo.

Several members of the rebel outfit have surrendered or were captured while the majority were killed by the army.