Garissa University College attack
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| 2015 Garissa University College attack | |
|---|---|
 Location of Garissa district in Kenya | |
| Location | Garissa, Kenya |
| Coordinates | 0°26′56″S 39°39′43″E / 0.449019°S 39.661925°E |
| Date | 2 April 2015 05:30 (local time) (UTC+03:00) |
| Target | Christian students |
Attack type | Hostage taking, shooting, mass murder |
| Weapons | AK-47s and explosive belts |
| Deaths | 151 (including 4 attackers) |
| Injured | 79 |
| Perpetrators | Al-Shabaab |
On 2 April 2015, gunmen stormed the Garissa University College in Garissa, Kenya, killing at least 147 people, and injuring 79 or more. The militant group Al-Shabaab, which the gunmen claimed to be from, took responsibility for the attack. The gunmen took several students hostage, freeing Muslims but holding Christians. The siege ended the same day after four gunmen were killed.
The attack was the deadliest in Kenya since the 1998 United States embassy bombings.[1] It had more causalities than the 2013 Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya.[2]
Background
Garissa, around 200 km from the Somalian border, was previously considered as "one of the safest spots in the region", and housed both military barracks and police headquarters.[3] Since Islamic Courts Union were routed by Ethiopian-led forces, Al Shabaab has been in conflict with Kenyan-led AMISOM troops. Uganda has also faced Al Shabaab attacks.
It was reported that there had been "high-profile warnings about a threat to a major university" prior to the attack.[3] Grace Kai, a student at a nearby college, said that "strangers had been spotted in Garissa town and were suspected to be terrorists", then "on Monday [30 March 2015] our college principal told us … that strangers had been spotted in our college", while on Tuesday, the college closed and sent its students home, but the university which remained open was attacked.[1]
Al-Shabaab had killed over 200 people in Kenya in the two years prior to the event, crippling Kenya's tourism industry.[1] Previously, "most" of Al-Shabaab's attacks were described to "have been outside major population centers".[3]
Attack and hostage-taking
The attack started at around 05:30 local time, triggering a shoot-out between gunmen and the police guarding the university. Two guards were killed at the entrance.[4] 20 students were rescued by soldiers, including Collins Wetangula, who described the presence of at least five masked, armed gunmen, as well as Christians being "shot on the spot".[5]
The Kenyan Defence Force and other Garissa security agencies were deployed.[6] They surrounded and sealed off the university to flush out the gunmen, with the Interior Ministry and Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre reporting that three out of four dormitories had been evacuated.[1] Michael Bwana, another student who fled, said that "most of the people still inside there are girls", in reference to the remaining student dormitory where the gunmen were believed to be hiding. One suspected attacker was arrested while fleeing the area.[5]
The siege ended after nearly 15 hours,[1] with four gunmen killed just after dusk.[5] The masked attackers wielded AK-47s while being strapped with explosives. When they were shot by Kenyan forces, the gunmen were described to have exploded "like bombs".[5] It was unclear if the explosives had been deliberately detonated by the attackers, or if the security forces' gunfire had triggered the explosions.[4]
Most of the 147 dead were students, but two university guards, a soldier and a policeman were also killed.[5] Around 587 students escaped, but 79 were injured. Authorities said all students have since been accounted for.[4]
Perpetrators and motive
A student survivor said that the gunmen spoke in Swahili, claiming that they were from the Al-Shabaab group.[5] The group, based in Somalia and having had links with Al-Qaeda, also claimed credit for the attack.[7] A spokesman for the group, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, said regarding the situations that "when our men arrived, they released the Muslims", but were holding Christians hostage. Rage also said that his men's "mission is to kill those who are against the Shabab", and that "Kenya is at war with Somalia" in reference to the presence of Kenyan troops in the African Union Mission to Somalia.[7] Another spokesman asserted that Al-Shabaab attacked the institution because it was on Muslim territory colonized by non-Muslims.[8]
The Kenyan government named Mohamed Mohamud Kuno, also known as Dulyadin or Gamadhere or Sheikh Mahamad, as the mastermind behind the attack. From 1993 to 1995, Kuno worked at the Al-Haramain Foundation. From 1997 to 2000, Kuno taught and became the principal of the Madrasa Najah school in Garissa.[9][10] A bounty of 20 million Kenyan shillings was placed on Kuno by the government.[2]
Aftermath
Nightly curfews from 18:30 to 6:30 were imposed until 16 April in Garissa and three other counties (Wajir, Mandera and Tana River) near to Kenya's border with Somalia.[1][2] Al Shabaab have reportedly considered swapping allegiances from Al Qaeda to ISIS.[citation needed]
See also
- Terrorism in Kenya
- July 2010 Kampala attacks carried out by Al-Shabaab
- 26/11
- Japanese embassy hostage crisis
References
- ^ a b c d e f Honan, Edith. "Al Shabaab storms Kenyan university, 14 killed". Reuters. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ a b c Mutambo, Aggrey; Hajir, Abdimalik (2 April 2015). "147 killed as Garissa University College attacked by gunmen". The EastAfrican. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ a b c Zirulnick, Ariel. "Kenya university attack puts security capabilities under fresh scrutiny (+video)". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ a b c "Kenya attack: Garissa University assault 'killed 147'". BBC News. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Odula, Tom; Muhumuza, Rodney; Senosi, Khalil (2 April 2015). "Al-Shabab militants kill 147 at university in Kenya". Associated Press. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Al-Shabab: Christian hostages held in Kenya university". Al Jazeera. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Al Shabab massacres 147 Kenyan students". Agence France-Presse. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "More than 70 dead in Al-Shabaab attack on Kenyan college, as Christians reportedly held hostage". FoxNews. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Government names a Kenyan and a former teacher Mohamed Kuno as Garissa University College attack mastermind". Daily Nation (Kenya). 28 March 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ "Sh20 Million Bounty for Garissa Attack Mastermind Mohamed Gamadhere". Capital FM News. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.