Mungiki vs. `Taliban` in Kenya's `Kosovo` (Ok... not for laughing...)

Kenyan police sealed Nairobi and broke up protests with water cannons and baton charges Jan. 3, barring supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga from holding a planned rally in Nairobi's Uhuru Park. Odinga made his own accusations of "genocide" against supporters of President Mwai Kibaki. Attorney General Amos Wako called for an independent investigation into the contested vote. (BBC, Bloomberg, Jan. 3) Three people were reported dead, a church and two petrol stations set ablaze, and five cars torched. (Daily Nation, Nairobi, Jan. 3) Reuters reports from the ethnically-mixed, impoverished Nairobi district of Mathare which residents have renamed "Kosovo"—violently contested by Kikuyu gangs such as the Mungiki and a Luo militia calling itself the "Taliban." (Reuters, Jan. 3)

Police also violently dispersed a planned protest in Kisumu, hurling tear gas and firing shots in the air. Among those arrested were two MPs-elect. (Daily Nation, Nairobi, Jan. 4) In an editorial entitled "Save Our Beloved Country," Nairobi's The Standard issued a call for immediate unconditional talks between Odinga and Kibaki.

I didn't know it, but many of Kenya's Christians are Orthodox Christians, so the similarities are there. The Orthodox always get the brunt of Islamic anger because they are in "a sandwich" between Islam and the West.:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Orthodox Christians Face Violence Following Contested Presidential Elections in Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya – The New Year began with tragedy for many people in Kenya as widespread violence erupted on December 27th in the wake of contested presidential elections between incumbent President, Mwai Kibaki, and challenger Raila Odinga.

Reports coming in from all over Kenya are painting a vivid picture of growing unrest and escalating conflict. According to Reuters, over 300 people have already died in the clashes between rival factions and the police.

The Kenyan capital city of Nairobi houses the Makarios III Patriarchal Seminary and St. George Orthodox Church lies nearby in the heart of the Kibera slums – the largest in Africa and a flash point for much of the recent violence.

In a phone conversation with OCMC Executive Director, Fr. Martin Ritsi, His Eminence, Archbishop Makarios of Kenya indicated that many homes of Orthodox Christians in Kibera have been burned, and displaced residents in the area are seeking safety and shelter within the confines of the St. George Orthodox Church compound. He states that three churches (not Orthodox) have been razed in Kibera thus far, and similar instances have been seen in Western Kenya as well.

The Archbishop went on to report that several Orthodox priests had seen their homes destroyed losing everything to fires set by angry mobs. Some of these priests are now taking refuge at the seminary which has been temporarily closed. Food has become scarce in Nairobi and people are staying home fearing continued troubles.

Before hanging up, His Eminence urged calm and encouraged all Orthodox Christians to pray for peace in Kenya. May the people of Kenya, guided by the Holy Spirit, find this peace through unity in a common Father and by the mercies of His only begotten son Jesus Christ.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is a non-profit organization that has been commissioned by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) to proclaim the fullness of the Christian Faith by establishing and nurturing vibrant, Eucharistic communities, which evangelize those around them and minister to the poor.

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