Our deepest condolences go out to the families in Uganda who have experienced the devastating loss of loved ones during the terrorist attack on Lhubiriha Secondary School on June 16, 2023.
Victims of radicalization, forty-two people lost their lives during a violent attack on Lhubiriha Secondary School last June. The Ugandan school served a community in the southwestern border town of Mpondwe (located in the Kasese district of the Rwenzori region).
Shocked by the violence, people from all walks of faith came together to reject the extremist views that led to the terrorist attack. Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Uganda called on the most respected bishops, sheiks, security officers, and cultural leaders in the region for a summit addressing terrorism prevention and providing messages of hope, healing, unity, and peace for the Rwenzori region. The seminar was held in the Kasese district on June 29, and a follow-up interfaith prayer and fasting period was conducted on August 4, 2023.
Milton Kambula discusses efforts for peacebuilding in Uganda.
“Our intervention is to tackle and eventually end terrorism attacks, violent extremism, and the ongoing identity-based conflict and clashes through the promotion of a clear vision of One Family under God,” explained the president of GPF Uganda, Mr. Milton Kambula. He explained that people often fall into violence and acts of terrorism not because they are comfortable with it, but because they do not have the skills to effectively control feelings of anger, revenge, frustration, hopelessness, and depression. Additionally, people who fall prey to extremist groups are also those who do not seek counseling or engage in dialogue and reconciliation processes.
GPF Uganda is working with partners to implement the Uganda for Peace campaign. The campaign seeks to empower religious, cultural, and security leaders with education and knowledge from peacebuilding experts. Together, they will learn the core elements of peacebuilding, and how to prevent the rise of terrorism, radicalization, and identity-based conflict in the Rwenzori region.
Religious and community leaders come together to launch the Uganda for Peace campaign.
Shared values have led to shared aspirations in the region. A growing influential group is leading activities for local people of different religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds to participate in shared sports, music, tree planting, community clean-ups, media debates, and much more to increase understanding and foster empathy and compassion among the diverse population.
Ugandans from all faith backgrounds continue to come together to spread the message of peace and pray that the Rwenzori region will be able to quickly heal from the devastation that violent extremism brings to parents, children, educators, and leaders from all walks of life.
Learn more Uganda | Global Peace Foundation
