How one border town refuses to let a school massacre be forgotten

What the report says

A border community in western Uganda has marked the victims of the June 16, 2023 attack on Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Secondary School with a permanent memorial. The Observer reports that suspected Allied Democratic Forces militants stormed the school in Kasese District, killing students and civilians and leaving some families still uncertain about missing relatives. Mupasula Asanasio, chairperson of the Association of Parents of the Affected Students, spoke for bereaved families who continue to live with trauma and economic hardship.

The memorial was unveiled last week at Mpondwe Town Council Headquarters during the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. Local leaders, diplomats, security officials and grieving families attended the ceremony. The stone monument carries the names of those identified from the attack and is intended as a place for mourning, reflection and public remembrance.

According to the report, Brigadier General Caesar Innocent Bahwezi of Uganda’s National Counter Terrorism Centre said the memorial helps keep victims present in the national conscience. European Union diplomat Toke Hauch Arnoldi also stressed that victims’ needs should remain central to counter-terrorism efforts. The project was carried out by the Prospect Initiative and Pole Institute with the Kofi Annan Foundation, the Victims of Terrorism Association Uganda, local leaders and affected parents, with funding from the European Union. The article frames the memorial as part of a broader effort to support survivors and resist the fading of public attention after attacks.