Al-Shabab Kidnaps and Kills Christian Man
Suspected al-Shabab terrorists kidnapped and killed a 60-year-old Christian man on December 5. The kidnapping occurred outside the home of the victim, Mutemi Kunga, in Poromoko farmer’s village, Lamu West.
Residents and family members confirmed the assailants abducted Kunga at 6 p.m. They likely abducted him to learn where other Christians lived in the village so they could meet them with the same fate.
“The killers started by waylaying an elderly man as he walked home from the farm and took him away,” said a resident. “His family tried to look for him in vain and decided to stay away from the home since they suspected that they could be attacked at night. Other villagers also fled from their homes. At night, we heard gunshots coming from the side of his home. We also fled in the opposite direction for our safety.”
The gunshots errupted as villagers hid in bushes, waiting for morning to look for Kunga and find out why the shooting had occurred.
“We could not sleep in our home since we knew that they would come again at night with our father and kill us. So early in the morning, we emerged from the bushes and went home, only to find the lifeless body of our father lying in a pool of blood. They had butchered him. They also killed all our goats and chickens and burnt down our house,” said one of Kunga’s sons.
Promptly responding to the incident, the security personnel initiated immediate evacuation and investigation into the attack. They urged residents to remain calm and collaborate with authorities by reporting unusual activities or individuals in the community.
One resident from Poromoko expressed deep concern over the prevailing security situation. He noted, “It was around 10 p.m. when we heard gunshots from a distance. This morning we came and found 10 goats and 6 chickens that had been slaughtered. We also found the man of the homestead dead from being butchered in cold blood. According to my estimation, the jihadist are people that do not live far from us and may even walk amongst us. That or they have local collaborators.”
The attack occurred exactly ten days after a similar incident happened in the same village where two Christians were killed and 14 houses set on fire.
The Christian population in Lamu West has endured a series of religiously motivated terror activities since June 2023, compelling thousands to flee their homes and seek refuge in IDP camps. In just September of this year, a church building was burnt to the ground, and a village pastor was killed a month later.
Source » persecution.org
