Sept. 21, 2013 was a dreadful day for many Kenyans. A terrorist group, the Al-shabaab, attacked the Westgate mall with large rifles and machine guns, shooting individuals that were specifically non-muslim. Standard, a local Kenyan news site, reported that 67 bodies have been identified to be dead, 68 bodies are said to still be missing and more than 100 people were injured. Reports from NBC news claim that five terrorists have been killed and 11 suspects have been arrested. The attackers are speculated to included three Americans and one British woman. The leader of Al-shabaab, Ahmed Godane (also known as Mukhtar Abu al-Zubayr) said the Westgate attack was retaliation for Kenya’s military action in Somalia, according to Reuters. “Take your troops out or prepare for a long-lasting war, blood, destruction and evacuation,” Godane warned.
Al-shabaab, according to CNN, is a “Somalia-based militant Islamist group. The group controls large swathes of the southern parts of the country, where it is said to have imposed its own strict form of Sharia (law).” An article by Adbulkadhir Khalif on Allafrican.com claimed that Al-Shabaab describes itself as waging jihad (holy war) against “enemies of Islam” and is engaged in combat against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). The article further goes on to explain that group members have also reportedly intimidated, kidnapped and killed aid workers, leading to a suspension of humanitarian operations and an exodus of relief agents. According to a press release by the United States Department of State in March 18, 2008, Al-Shabaab was designated a terrorist organization by several Western governments and security service. The reason behind the cold-blooded murdering was because Kenya sent troops to Somalia two years ago as an attempt to flush out the Islamist militants Kenya accused of kidnapping and killing foreigners in the coastal area. The abductions cost Kenya’s tourism industry, which is Kenya’s main source of revenue. The Al-Shabaab threatened to attack Kenya if they refused to withdraw their troops, but unfortunately this time their words were turned into actions. The terrorist’s main target were citizens or any individuals who were not of Islam. The Al-Shabaab were using Twitter to confirm responsibility for the events that were occurring at the mall, which resulted in the suspension of their account from the site.
The incident at Westgate was a complete catastrophe as many innocent lives were lost. For me, Westgate holds a whole lot of good memories as it was an area where my friends and I could go hang out, eat, shop, watch movies and just enjoy normal leisurely activities. It was considered a safe haven for us, but that perception has completely been crushed. It still leaves me bewildered how people that had nothing to do with the conflict between the two countries suffered the consequences of someone else’s actions. Whether or not Kenya’s decision to send troops into Somalia was right or wrong, it caused the whole issue to be personal and led to an extremely brutal mass murder. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta commented, “We went as a nation to Somalia to fight the war against terror unleashed on Kenyan people, Somali people and people around the world.” He added, “This is not a Kenyan war, this is an international war.”
Not only was the attack a catastrophe and a hard situation to deal with, but there is a video circulating on YouTube called “The Kenyan Mall Hoax, The Camera Man Can” that is mocking the event. It is a video by Max Malone that shows pictures of the victims that were shot dead or injured. Malone criticizes the whole incident and claims the calamity was staged and the cameraman is the one who had all the control and made us believe that it was real.
Fellow Kenyan and UT sophomore and marketing major, Pravir Sing watched the video. “I was completely angry when I saw the video,” he said. “I tried to comment on the video because I wanted to let him know that it was serious and people actually died but every time I tried the guy would delete my comments.”
“But I don’t blame the guy,” he added. “He probably doesn’t even know how the mall looks or where exactly it is, let alone how Kenya looks. He is just ignorant.”
This video shows complete witlessness because this person seems to be oblivious to the fact that people had actually died and that it is very serious.
“Two of my relatives died in the whole incident,” said Kushali Shah, a sophomore and biochemistry major who is also from Kenya.
For Malone to disrespect or rather find humor in such a situation in which people perished is revolting. He then goes on to make comments such as, “If someone can explain to the makeup girl how to make the blood look real” while pointing at an injured victims face, and “where is the little girl’s mother?” while laughing and mocking the fact that a child was all alone in the building next to a dead body.
Hostages were trapped in the building for three days. There were gunshots going back and forth plus explosions occurring within the building. This left the whole country caught up in anxiety and left them no choice but to turn to prayers. On the fourth day of the siege, the Kenyan officials declared the whole situation under control, which put a lot of people’s hearts at rest. A report from the Daily Nation reported, “Various units of the Kenya Police and the Kenya Defence Forces played key roles in the rescue operation after a band of terrorists linked to Somalia-based Al-Shabaab attacked the shopping mall on Saturday.” The Kenyan police force can be considered by many to be very unlawful as most of them are always engaging in corrupt activities and injustices. Yet, they managed to defend and protect the country the best way they could.
Shah could not have put it any better: “Although Kenya may have its issues and we may be considered to have a police force that is completely horrible, they did an amazing job in getting things back under control, and this has only made Kenyans stronger. Sisi ni moja, meaning we are one.”
Irene Sidede can be reached atIrene.Sidede@spartans.ut.edu
