An Anglican church in the North East of Kenya has lost 11 of its members in recent terror attacks, and others have been forced to flee to military camps for safety.
The church, part of the Anglican Church of Kenya, is in Mandera, close to the borders of Somalia and Ethiopia. It is a microcosm of the danger faced by Christians from a resurgence in Islamic terrorism in several parts of Africa.
The two recent terror attacks have been carried out by Al-Shabaab militants, and targeted Christians and other non-muslims.
In the first attack, a bus travelling to Nairobi was stopped by terrorists, who boarded and asked each passenger to take a 'faith test'. One survivor was quoted as saying “They asked how many times I prayed in a day, asked me to recite a Koran verse and also used an Islamic greeting. Anybody who failed to respond correctly to these was asked to lie on a muddy patch of the road facing down.”
In the second attack, Al-Shabaab gunmen stormed a quarry in the pre-dawn hours, again separating the muslims and either beheading or shooting their victims in the head.
St Andrew’s Anglican Church lost two of its members in the bus attack and 9 at the quarry. Others were forced to flee to the protection of the Kenyan military.
Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper spoke to a church elder who said said many Christians were fleeing the region for fear of terrorist attacks.
“We are in fear....I will go back because I have to close the church” Elijah Kinyua, a lay minister at the parish, told the Daily Nation.
The Primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, has called for international help in fighting the war against terrorism, which is particularly intense near the Somali border.
The Archbishop of Sydney's Anglican Aid has dispatched emergency assistance to Kenya. The director of Anglican Aid, the Rev David Mansfield says "We want to support the affected families and as an expression of our love and fellowship. Archbishop Wabukaka told me he will visit the parish next week, despite the instability and dangers in the region.'
Photo: Police at the scene of the bus attack near Mandera
