A mother in traditional Ugandan dress wailed uncontrollably as rescue workers searched for the body of her daughter amongst the ruins and ashes of Buddo Junior School dormitory.
Other hushed onlookers crowded around in shock. An acrid smell hung in the air.
“My brother’s just told me he can’t identify his child,” one man, who has a son at the school, said.
Like other parents, he rushed to the primary school, about 14km from the capital, Kampala, when he heard of the fire which gutted a girls’ dormitory on Monday night.
Please note that this BBC report leaves out any mention that this was a Christian school. It is indeed an Anglican one, run by the Anglican Church of Uganda, and one of the premier boarding schools in the country. The girls were ages 9-12.
It does appear that some of the doors were locked or blocked from the outside before the fire was set, which makes it an act of wanton murder. It appears to be an act of terrorism, probably by Muslims, who make up some 10-20% of Uganda. Though this BBC report notes that there had been strife recently at the school, with some faculty on strike after going unpaid, so the real cause of this apparent arson is not yet clear. So this may be just commendable journalistic caution, or it may be the usual liberal media bias against highlighting Muslim violence against Christians.
If people want to help and donate to the rebuilding of the school dormitory, contributions may be sent to Archbishop Orombi’s Emergency Fund. I’m not sure what the Elves would say about this, so I’m reluctant to provide more details at this time. But the Rev. Alison Barfoot, ++Henry Orombi’s Assistant for International Affairs, is coordinating the efforts to respond to this terrible tragedy and she has given me the bank account number and routing information for anyone who’d like to make a donation. Contact me, and I’ll pass on the information to those interested.
David Handy+
[blockquote] It appears to be an act of terrorism, probably by Muslims, who make up some 10-20% of Uganda. Though this BBC report notes that there had been strife recently at the school, with some faculty on strike after going unpaid, so the real cause of this apparent arson is not yet clear. So this may be just commendable journalistic caution, or it may be the usual liberal media bias against highlighting Muslim violence against Christians.[/blockquote]
Father David,
Can you substantiate the “probably” above? Have particular threats been made, or is there other reason to suspect Muslims?
Laocoon (#2),
No, I admit that I have no evidence to support that presumption. Babyblue might advise us to consider it just as likely to have been a result of incompetence, using the famous Hammerstein Hierarchy of Human Behavior that she loves to cite, wherein it’s supposed that 50% of awful things are the result of mere human laziness, another 25% due to stupidity, and only 15% to intentional evil (and another 10% to misguided altruism).
I’ve just reviewed reports on Uganda’s main online newspaper. Police have arrested 8 guards at the Budo Girl’s School who are charged with criminal negligence. They were watching a soccer game when they ought to have been on duty and none of them came to the help of the girls until it was too late. The investigation is continuing, and so far nothing has been said officially, except that arson is suspected.
If it turns out to be just some disgruntled employee or some other non-Muslim, I’ll have to eat crow and confess that my anti-Muslim bias got the better of me. We’ll see.
David Handy+
Lord,
Be with us now.
Lord, have mercy.
Thanks, Father David. I have no reason to doubt you’re correct, but, since I’m likely to talk about this in my college classes tomorrow, I wanted to check the facts. I appreciate both your perspective and your candor.
Christ have mercy on all involved!