Eleven non-local Christian passengers in northeastern Kenya attacked and killed at Kotulo for failing to recite the Islamic Shahada, International Christian Concern (ICC) report says. The passengers were travelling from Nairobi to Mandera.
"A passenger bus belonging to Medina Bus Company, traveling between Wajir and Mandera was attacked by a criminal gang at around 17:30 hours this evening. The attack happened at Maadathe area, five kilometers to Kotulo. Lives are believed to have been lost," a Kenyan police official told ICC.
The attackers are believed to be al-Shabaab militants. According to sources, the militants targeted non-locals and separated them from the rest of the passengers in the bus. Nine of the passengers were marched out of the bus and shot dead at close range. Two other passengers are still missing, but are believed to have died.
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the heinous bus attack near Kotulo, Wajir today around 5:00 p.m. where 10 passengers were killed [or are missing]," the governor of Mandera said. "I am informed that the suspected al-Shabaab fighters cowardly segregated non-locals heading to Mandera from Nairobi. It is extremely sad and humanly disturbing to learn that, yet again, they segregated locals from non-locals before killing those they believed to be non-locals," he added.
In northeastern Kenya, it is common for terrorists to attack buses and separate passenger based on their religion and specifically kill Christians. Along the Garissa Masalani road in 2018, two Christians were killed in a similar manner for not reciting the Islamic creed.
"We pray for the families of the deceased and for peace to come to a region that has seen increased violence toward Christians who are just trying to survive," Nathan Johnson, ICC's Regional Manager for Africa commented. "We hope that the government will take effective action to stop the senseless killing of so many Christians in Kenya at the hands of Islamic extremists like al-Shabaab. We praise God as the refuge and strong tower that He is for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ who continue to endure so much," Johnson added.
