More Violence; More Orphans

Kenya is a nation that is very close to my heart. I’ve spent considerable time there, especially during six or seven visits over the past few years alone. The current violence, though much smaller in scale than the conflicts that have plagued Africa over the past few decades, chills me and reminds me that even seemingly-stable African countries can erupt into cauldrons of ethnic violence in the blink of an eye.

The news today is eerily reminiscent of the systematic bloodletting at churches in Rwanda...

Kenya Church Torched, 50 Reported Killed
(Abridged)
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY and TOM ODULA

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A mob torched a church where hundreds had sought refuge Tuesday, and witnesses said dozens of people — including children — were burned alive or hacked to death with machetes in ethnic violence that followed Kenya's disputed election.

The killing of up to 50 ethnic Kikuyus in the Rift Valley city of Eldoret brought the death toll from four days of rioting to more than 275.

The latest violence recalled scenes from the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

The people killed in Eldoret had fled to the church on Monday night, seeking refuge after mobs torched homes. Video from a helicopter chartered by the Red Cross showed many homes in flames and the horizon obscured by smoke. Groups of people were seen seeking sanctuary at schools and the airport, while others moved into the forest.

On Tuesday morning, a mob of about 2,000 arrived at the church, said George Karanja, whose family had sought refuge there.

"They started burning the church," Karanja said, his voice catching with emotion as he described the scene. "The mattresses that people were sleeping on caught fire. There was a stampede, and people fell on one another."

Karanja, 37, helped pull out at least 10 people, but added, "I could not manage to pull out my sister's son. He was screaming 'Uncle, uncle!' ...He died." The boy was 11.

Up to 50 people were killed in the attack, said a Red Cross official who spoke on condition of anonymity because her name would identify her tribe, and she feared reprisal.

Karanja said his 90-year-old father was attacked with a machete, but survived.

"The worst part is that they were hacking people and then setting them on fire," he added.

In Nairobi's slums, which are often divided along tribal lines, rival groups have been fighting each other with machetes and sticks as police use tear gas and bullets to keep them from pouring into the city center.

Comments

[Scott]

Pray for our friends in Kenya.