AFRICA/KENYA - Controversy over the assault at Westgate

Friday, 27 September 2013

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – There is growing controversy in Kenya in the aftermath of the dramatic attack at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi by a group linked to the movement of the Somali Shabaab.
The security forces are being accused for how they handled the situation, which saw several police and army units operate on their own without any real coordination. The lack of cooperation between the police and the military even caused the death of the head of the anti-terrorism police mistakenly killed by the army.
At the moment, the provisional toll of the terrorist act is of 61 civilians and 6 members of the security forces were killed. The Red Cross said 71 people are still missing and may be under the rubble. The Kenyan authorities announced the arrest of a dozen people in connection with the assault against Westegate .
The incident aroused great emotion in the Country. The religious members of the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA) and the Association of Sisterhood in Kenya (AOSK) have sponsored a procession of prayer on September 25 in memory of the victims and for the healing of the wounded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 27/09/2013)


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