clerics
Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News Service 6-17-2014
Government office in Mpeketoni, Kenya raided by attackers, leaving more than 60 people dead. RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili.
Christian and Muslim leaders united Tuesday to demand government action after a deadly terror attack in Kenya’s coastal region.
On Sunday and Monday, armed gunmen stormed Mpeketoni town and nearby villages, killing more than 60 people — an attack described as the worst since the Nairobi Westgate shopping mall attack in September.
The gunmen held the town hostage for more than four hours, burning houses, hotels, and banks, and even attacking the local police station.
The Islamic militant group al-Shabaab said it executed the attack as revenge for the Kenyan army’s presence in Somalia, the killing of Muslim scholars in the coastal region and the oppression of Muslims.
The government has since said this was not an al-Shabaab attack but was carried out by a gang paid by politicians.