Church leaders in Kenya fear Somalian al-Shabaab Islamists may target Christmas celebrations after a massacre of 36 quarry workers on Monday.
Al-Shabaab terrorists crossed into Kenya and killed the 36 men – who are thought to all be Christian – near the northern town of Mandera.
Residents of the mainly Muslim region said the gunmen separated Muslims from the rest and shot Christians in the head.
The gunmen arrived at around midnight on Monday and witnesses were attacked while sleeping in their tents. One witness told the BBC that four of the victims were beheaded inside their tents, while three appeared to have escaped to Mandera town.
Last week, the terrorists killed 28 Christians who were travelling in a bus from the town for Christmas holidays, after separating them from Muslim passengers.
According to Bishop Joseph Alessandro, the Garissa diocese co-adjutor, the militants were targeting skilled workers who are not from the northern region. “Forcing them to flee will destabilise this part of Kenya,” Bishop Alessandro told Fides news agency.
The attacks have left the people desperate, with church leaders fearing the violence may try to launch attacks on Christmas celebrations in Muslim-majority regions.
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