Al-Shabab, the Somali Islamic extremist group, staged an attack on citizens at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 21. President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, announced Tuesday that security forces had “ashamed and defeated our attackers” after a four-day siege. In a BBC article published early Thursday morning, Kenyatta said 72 people died, including six security personnel and five militants. The death toll is expected to rise.
Kenyatta also said security forces have arrested 11 suspects in connection with the siege. Wednesday marked the beginning of a three-day national mourning period.
On Tuesday the United Nations envoy for Somalia called for additional African troops to counter al-Shabab, which he said numbered some 5,000 people and posed an international threat, according to NBC News.
Al-Shabab, whose name means “The Youth” in Arabic, emerged out of the defeat of the Union of Islamic Courts in 2006 with a view of purging Somalia of foreign forces and establishing a fundamentalist Islamic state. The al-Qaida-linked group first began threatening Kenya with a terror attack in late 2011, after Kenya sent troops into Somalia. The attack at Westgate is believed to be a continued response to the presence of Kenyan troops in Somalia.
Dr. Shadrack Nasong’o, associate professor and chair of the department of international studies at Rhodes College, has researched the politics of democratization, ethno-nationalism and social conflict with particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa. He has written a book on the struggle for democracy in Kenya since independence from Britain in 1963.
“Part of the reason for the Al-Shabab attacks in Kenya emanates from the perception that the country is an ally of the U.S. in the war on terror; so part of the target in Kenya is Westerners and their interests – especially Americans,” Nasong’o said. “Even more importantly, it is alleged that two or three of the terrorists were Americans, recruited from the U.S. to join al-Shabab. The attack, thus, is not something that happened out there – it has a direct connection to the U.S. in terms of perpetrators as well as potential victims.”
President Barack Obama called the attack a “terrible outrage” and has announced U.S. solidarity with Kenya saying, “We will provide them with whatever law enforcement support is necessary.” According to a White House statement, Obama called Kenyatta to express condolences to the government and people of Kenya and reaffirm the strong and historic partnership between the United States and Kenya and their shared commitment to combating terrorism and promoting peace and prosperity around the world.
Nasong’o said he believes the responsibility of peace in Kenya and surrounding areas rests upon the shoulders of government leaders and the United Nations.
“The best way to deal with al-Shabab is to stabilize the political situation in Somalia, establish an effective government by Somalis with the requisite capacity to maintain law and order and provide for the socio-economic and security needs of Somalis,” Nasong’o said. “It is critical that the African Union and U.N. conduct joint efforts to stabilize Somalia and thus obviate the circumstances that allow groups like al-Shabab to thrive.”
