Christian Post | Anugrah Kumar | March 15, 2020
In yet another assault on Christians in north-eastern Kenya, suspected militants from the Somalia-based al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabaab killed two people and abducted another in two separate attacks this week.
The militants ambushed a passenger bus on the road between Elwak and Mandera near the Jabi-bar area Wednesday and asked all of the passengers to disembark before identifying non-Muslims, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern.
The suspected member of Al-Shabaab then abducted a Christian.
An hour later, two non-local medical transporters were killed and their truck was burned in the same location near the porous Kenya-Somalia border. The deceased were ferrying medicines.
“The driver and turn boy who are both non-locals were taken away. It was later reported that the lorry has been burnt down to ashes,” Mandera’s Governor said in a statement.
“Al-Shabaab is following through with its threat to target and attack non-local Christians,” Nathan Johnson, ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, said. “They have increased this type of attack greatly already this year. If this continues, 2020 could be one of the deadliest for Kenyan Christians in recent history. Though I commend the Kenyan government for taking this situation seriously, they must figure out a better way to stop these attacks before dozens more Christians are killed.”
Late last month, al-Shabaab “ordered” Christians to leave three counties in north-eastern Kenya to allow local Muslims to get all local jobs.
“Muslim teachers, doctors, engineers, and young graduates from the northeastern province are unemployed. Isn’t it better to give them a chance? There is no need for the presence of disbelievers,” al-Shabaab’s spokesman, Sheikh Ali Dhere, said in an audio clip posted online, referring to the counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera.
In the 20-minute clip, the spokesman urged Somali-Kenyans to drive all non-Muslims out if they do not leave on their own.