UGANDA — At least 37 schoolchildren have been killed in an attack in Uganda by militants linked to the Islamic State terror group.

Militants linked to Islamic State have carried out a massacre at a boarding school in western Uganda, killing and kidnapping students. It’s been described as the deadliest attack in Uganda since 2010. Andrew Boyd from Release International reports.

A witness told the BBC the schoolchildren were singing gospel songs before bedtime when the terrorists struck. They cut down the girls’ students with machetes and set fire to the boys’ dormitory. The attackers were overheard shouting “Allah is greater” during the 90-minute onslaught on the school. They are said to be members of the Allied Democratic Forces, an insurgency group linked with Islamic State. According to reports, the attackers kidnapped at least six students and made them carry back looted food supplies to their base.

There has been a growing number of attacks against Christians in Uganda as Islamist terrorism gains ground in the region. In April and May a Christian college student and an engineer were killed for sharing their faith. And over Easter, Islamist extremists set off a fuel bomb during a Good Friday service at a Pentecostal church.

The latest report by the Global Terrorism Index describes the Sahel and Sub-Saharan regions of Africa as the new epicentre of world terrorism, accounting for 60% of all deaths by terrorism. They say Islamic State extremists have now overtaken the Taliban as the world’s deadliest terror group. IS has called for holy warriors to rally to Africa to make it their new centre for Islamist operations. It means the regions now overtaken the Middle East and North Africa as the number one hotspot for terrorism.

A partner of Release International described the conflict as a wake-up call for the world. She says, “What happened in Uganda was a picture we didn’t want to come true, but the region’s situation is worsening. May God protect them and be with them as they pass through this dark valley.” Yet despite the violence, the church is growing. Reliefs International affiliates are helping believers who have been attacked because of their Christian faith and are supporting pastors to stand firm in the face of growing Islamist extremism.

About Release International

Release International is a Christian ministry working through local church partners in around 30 countries across the world, helping persecuted Christians prayerfully, pastorally and practically. The ministry was founded in 1968, inspired by the testimony and ministry of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. Following the demise of Communism in Eastern Europe and the increase in the persecution of Christians elsewhere in the world, the Ministry broadened its activities and changed its name to Release International.

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