[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_custom_heading text=”By Nathan Johnson” font_container=”tag:h6|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1528394850655{margin-bottom: 22px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”99599″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]06/07/2018 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – “We heard gunshots from the nearby quarry and started fleeing for our lives; little did we know that another group of three heavily armed al-Shabaab fighters was approaching our quarry from the gate,” David said. “My friend ahead of me was [shot in the head] and fell down. As soon as I had stepped outside the quarry to slip into the bushes, I was shot in the left arm.”
David Wahome narrated how he survived the May 3 terror attack in Shimbir Fatuma, Mandera after militants from the Somalia-based terror group, al-Shabaab, ambushed quarry workers in broad daylight.
“The gunmen proceeded down into the quarry to kill more people as I ran to the main road holding my bloody and painful arm. I was picked up by police, whose delayed response allowed the attackers to escape, and was taken to the hospital,” added David.
The attack left four people dead, all non-local Christians, as well as several injured and others missing.
Unfortunately, this was not David’s first encounter with the terror group. He survived a similar attack in 2014 when al-Shabaab militants rounded up nearly 150 Christians under cover of darkness, 36 of whom were then brutally murdered.
Following similar attacks last year at quarries situated in Fincharo and Shimbir Fatuma in Elwak Sub-county, more than 200 quarry workers have had to be rescued by combined multi-agency security teams and surveillance has been heightened. Yet, this still hasn’t prevented raids by al-Shabaab. Despite this continued danger, non-locals, who are mainly Christians, continue to travel to the area for work..[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”“We heard gunshots from the nearby quarry and started fleeing for our lives; little did we know that another group of three heavily armed al-Shabaab fighters was approaching our quarry from the gate.”” font_container=”tag:h5|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1528394982309{margin-top: 50px !important;margin-bottom: 60px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1528394946771{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]
The stone quarries in Mandera are more profitable, which attracts non-locals with expertise in stone carving to northeastern Kenya in search of greener pastures. Many of the Christians killed over the last four years in Mandera are from Nyeri county, which has stone quarries as well.
“The stones in Nyeri are very hard to split and smoothen compared to the ones in Mandera. The quarries are also very deep and dangerous and the money I used to make in Mandera is four times what I would make in Nyeri. Mandera has shallow quarries and softer stones, making it easier to make more money and support my family and pay school fees for my children,” David Wahome explained to International Christian Concern.
The county government of Mandera has warned of the closure of quarries in Mandera and urged non-locals to look for avenues of income in other parts of the country. This move has come under severe criticism with non-locals living in Kenya’s north claiming segregation.
A local reverend in Mandera reiterated that stopping “non-locals from taking up risky jobs in Mandera is discriminatory; rather, the government should give security to every citizen anywhere in Kenya. The enemy is within us and we need to remain vigilant as we pray. We are saddened by the continued Christian persecution in northeastern Kenya.”
Following this attack, David is recuperating at the hospital and we hope that he will get well soon. He has said that he will not be returning to Mandera, but will return to living with his family again in Nyeri County. He is married to Ruth and together they have four children; Eric, Dennis, Mercy, and Joyce.
For interviews with Nathan Johnson, Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org
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