Who gave al-Shabaab IED's?

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that at least five passengers died and dozens severely injured on Wednesday morning, March 24, after a bus they were traveling in ran over a roadside improvised bomb on Lafey-Mandera road near the Kenya-Somali border in Mandera County.

The public service vehicle was traveling to Mandera town when the incident occurred near Arabia town. The North Eastern Police Commander suggested that the attackers had crossed the border a day ago targeting police camps in Lafey and non-local education officers who are facilitating national exams in the region.

Speaking to the ICC from Mandera, a local church leader confirmed that the injured passengers were at the Mandera General Hospital with six people in critical condition. He added, “The security situation in Mandera hasn’t improved, although we have not witnessed many attacks since the beginning of the year. We always live in fear especially when we get information that the Somali-based al-Shabaab members have been spotted. We continue to urge our brothers and sisters to remain vigilant and avoid traveling through high-risk roads.”

While on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday afternoon, Mandera Senator, Mr. Mohamed M. Mahamud, condemned the early morning attack calling it “A serious terror attack” and asked the government “to upscale security and make sure this matter is dealt with accordingly. We also urge our people to cooperate with security agencies and not to relent in reporting any suspicion.”

Today’s bus attack comes two months after another passenger bus in Wajir, northeastern Kenya, where a group of armed Al-Shabaab militants robbed travelers and the bus conductor after failing to find Christians in the bus. Over the last few years, Al-Shabaab has been targeting Christians and security personnel in the Northeastern region of Kenya that lies near the border with Somalia.

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Nathan Johnson, said, “These continued attacks have devastated many families in Kenya. The group is making it so that an entire region of the country is unsafe for the majority of Kenyans to travel to, work in, or live in. These attacks must be stopped. Until buses and roads are safe to travel on, the Kenyan government must provide military protection that stops these attacks.”

For interviews please contact Alison Garcia: press@persecution.org

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