Christians were handed Islamic clothing items by their Muslim colleagues, to prevent al-Shabaab terrorists from distinguishing between them and Muslims during attack in Kenya
A group of Muslims travelling on a bus in the north east of Kenya took a stand against gun-wielding Islamists, refusing to point out who on their bus were Christian despite the terrorists threatening to kill them all.
Shukri Farah, driver of the bus, said the Muslims stood on either side of the Christians, to shield them from view. Passengers had swapped clothes, he said, to allow the Christians to blend in.
“The road is not good around that place and I had to slow down to cross a deep trench when I saw three armed men in military uniform on my side,” he said.
“I asked my conductor what the military were doing there and before he answered they shot at us.”
Ten Shabaab fighters near Mandera sprayed the bus with bullets, injuring the driver in the leg and forcing the bus to a halt.
“I stopped and quickly alerted the passengers of the happenings before the attackers got closer. We asked non-Muslims in the bus to cover their heads with their jackets, as Muslim women gave clothes to non-Muslims girls and women,” he told Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper on Tuesday.
Two people were killed – one of whom tried to run away, and another who was unable to recite verses of the Koran. Ten al-Shabaab militants then boarded the bus and ordered the Muslim passengers to split away from the Christians.
But the Muslims on board defied demands from the attackers to help identify Christians travelling with them.
"We stuck together tightly," said Abdi Mohamud Abdi, one of the passengers.
"The militants threatened to shoot us but we still refused and protected our brothers and sisters. Finally they gave up and left but warned that they would be back."
Julius Otieno, the deputy county commissioner, confirmed the account, saying that the militants "were trying to identify who were Muslims and who were not," and that the Muslim passengers had refused to help.
“After dressing like Muslims it was difficult for the attackers to identify who was who and they did not get into the bus to ransack it. I think it’s because they were only four,” said Mr Farah.
The 2014 bus attack shocked Kenya and led to a shake-up of security ministers. Since then, buses carrying passengers from Mandera have been given police escorts, but Kenya Police spokesman Charles Owino said that had not happened in this case because the bus had bypassed a police roadblock.
Mr Owino said that in addition to the two deaths, four people were wounded.
Al-Shabaab has said it will continue its attacks on Kenya until Nairobi withdraws troops from an African Union force fighting the militants in Somalia. It has also said northeastern Kenya should be part of Somalia.
Kenya's long northeastern border with Somalia is widely considered a security weak spot. Factors include poor co-ordination between security services, and a culture of corruption that allows anyone prepared to pay a bribe to pass unchallenged.
And Mr Farah said they were all very aware of the risk.
“These are bad people; you can’t dare bargain with them.
“The only thing was that Muslim women gave their clothing to Christians and on alighting from the bus the Christians stood in the middle of the crowd. But nobody said anything to the attackers.”
Kenya’s Supreme Council of Muslims praised the actions of those who protected the Christians. “Terrorists have no borders, religion or race. Terrorists submit to no faith. We stand with our fellow Christians during this time and shall continue to do so,” said Adan Wachu, secretary general.
“Let us be each other’s true keepers.”
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