Al Shabaab wants to destabilise Kenya says Bishop Alessandro

14 people have been killed and 11 wounded in an attack attributed to Shabaab Somalis.  The attack took place in the early hours of Wednesday in a residential area near Mandera town, a city in the northeast of Kenya.

 "The goal of Al Shabaab (Isalmist terrorists based in Somalia)  is to 'liberate' the north-east of Kenya, inhabited by Kenyans of Somali origin, from the non-Muslims and non-Somalis", the Coadjutor Bishop of Garissa, Joseph Alessandro, has told Agenzia Fides.

"Just like the attacks that took place before, workers coming from other areas of Kenya, therefore non-Somalis and non-Muslims are being targeted. Unfortunately it seems that this strategy is having success. Already several non-local workers have fled from Mandera in recent months,” Bishop Alessandro said.

The health and education sectors are the most affected by the exodus. Throughout the north-east of Kenya, all education has been seriously disrupted by the lack of teachers. Previously, the shortage was covered by teachers coming from other areas of Kenya. Not anymore. Most non-Muslims are now too terrified to work in areas bordering Somalia.

"We must say, however, that  Al Shabaab are also targeting several Muslim leaders who do not think like them and who support the government's actions", added Bishop Alessandro.

"If this project of 'ethnic and religious cleansing' were to be completed, the Al Shabaab will declare these territories as 'Islamic lands' and perhaps join the Caliphate. The government in Nairobi is trying to do everything possible so that Kenyans from other areas remain in the Northeast, otherwise the whole area is likely to be destabilised", concluded Bishop Alessandro.

During Holy week, this year, Garissa University College in the northeastern region of Kenya was brutally attacked by Al Shabaab militants who killed 142 students as well as 6 security officers..

Pope Francis in his meeting with Kenyan Bishops soon after the attack, remembered those killed in the Garissa University massacre. He told the Bishops, “With you, I pray for all those who have been killed by acts of terror or ethnic or tribal hostilities in Kenya as well as other areas of the continent.  I think most especially of the men and women killed at Garissa University College on Good Friday. May their souls rest in peace and their loved ones be consoled, and may those who commit such brutality come to their senses and seek mercy,” Pope Francis said.

 (Agenzia Fides)