In a horrific incident near the Congo border, an attack on a private school by rebel extremists linked to the Islamic State claimed the lives of at least 41 individuals, while six others were abducted, according to Ugandan military officials. A student who miraculously survived the brutal assault at the Ugandan school shared a chilling account of how he disguised himself with the blood of his deceased classmates to evade detection by the Islamist rebel group.

Julius Isingoma recounted his ordeal to the BBC, stating, "I smeared the blood of my dead colleagues in my mouth, ears and on my head so that the attackers would think I was dead. I lay next to the bloodied bodies of my friends and thought very fast. Then I smeared a lot of blood into my ears, mouth and on my head and when the militants came, they checked my hand for a pulse and left."

The Allied Democratic Forces, an extremist group affiliated with ISIS, is believed to be responsible for the weekend attack. Five members of the group allegedly perpetrated the assault, abducting at least six individuals and forcing them across the border into Congo, as reported by the Ugandan military.

The mayor of Mpondwe confirmed the recovery of 41 bodies, including 38 students from Lhubiriha Secondary School. Three adults, comprising a security guard and two community members, were killed outside the school premises. The victims were subjected to horrific violence, being burned, shot, or hacked to death.

Isingoma, who was in the boys' dormitory during the attack, described the assailants as armed men. Upon realizing the imminent danger, students barricaded the door. "When they couldn't open the door they hurled a bomb inside the dormitory and then used hammers and axes to break down the door," he said, adding that he was "overwhelmed by the smoke." Following the explosion, the attackers opened fire, killing numerous students whose bodies inadvertently shielded Isingoma from the bullets. He sought refuge by climbing onto a bunk bed and then into the ceiling, where he remained hidden throughout the attack.

Upon descending from his hiding place, Isingoma's fall alerted the militants, prompting him to cover himself with blood. Another student, Godwin Mumbere, also survived the ordeal by hiding under a bed in the same dormitory. When his friends were tragically killed and fell on top of him, the attackers mistook him for dead. "It was at this point that they shot me in the hand and set the dorm ablaze," Mumbere recounted.

Isingoma and Mumbere were among the eight survivors, which included a girl who sustained a severe head wound from a hammer and remains in critical condition in intensive care. All eight survivors were hospitalized for treatment.