Christians flee after killings

Churches in north-eastern Kenya have been put under tight security, and Christians are fleeing the region after the killing of 28 Christians by Somalia’s Islamist al-Shabaab terrorists last Saturday.

The Islamists hijacked a Nairobi-bound bus that the Christians were travelling in for their Christmas holiday. They fired at the bus a few miles from Mandera town, forcing the driver to stop, but their attempts to commandeer the bus into Somalia failed when it got stuck in the mud. The terrorists then forced the 60 passengers off the bus and ordered them to state their faiths.

Those 28 who could not recite verses from the Qur’an or say Muslim greetings were separated from other passengers, and shot at close range. The Government said 21 of the dead were teachers who had been posted to the largely Muslim region.

“This is very alarming and worrying because of the selective killing of Christians. We believe the attackers are trying to create religious animosity and if this is allowed to continue it will seriously harm Kenya,” Fr Daniel Rono, the acting general secretary of the Kenyan Bishops’ Conference, told The Tablet.
Fr Rono said the Church was not viewing this conflict as a religious one. “We are promoting harmonious existence between Christians and Muslims. That’s why Christians are working there to help Muslims acquire education and health services,” he said.

Al-Shabaab is based in Somalia, but has stepped up attacks in Kenya since 2011, when the country sent troops into Somalia.