AFRICA/KENYA - The perpetrators of the attacks against some villages on the coast have been identified

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - Idris Kamau, a Kenyan, has been indicated by a report of the Security Service (NIS) as the commander of the armed groups responsible for the attacks in Lamu County (coastal region on the border with Somalia) in which at least 87 people lost their lives (see Fides 16 and 17 June in 2014). The report, which has a date prior to the attacks, also states that a former military of the Kenyan army, Abu Jamal, is the coordinator of the Somali Shabaab in the area of Mombasa, and it seems he is planning new attacks.
According to the intelligence services, Kamau and his group of guerrillas are hiding in the forest in Boni. The two commanders are recruiting young Muslim Kenyans in Mombasa to increase the ranks of their groups. According to what His Exc. Mgr. Emanuel Barbara, Bishop of Malindi and Apostolic Administrator in Mombasa said to Fides Agency, the attacks against the town of Mpeketoni and in the surrounding area are carried out by "an armed group formed specifically, composed of Kenyan and foreigner elements" (see Fides June 18, 2014). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 15/07/2014)