Christians in Kenya and around the world mourned the loss of 148 Garissa University students on Easter Sunday. According to the Christian Post, most of the murdered students were Christian.
Hundreds of Christians gathered at a Catholic church in Garissa to mourn the loss. Pope Francis talked about the massacre in his message and referred to the multitude of Christians around the world that have been persecuted for their faith.
“May constant prayer rise up from all people of goodwill for those who lost their lives,” said the Pope. “I think in particular of the young people who were killed last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya.”
Last Thursday, several gunmen belonging to the al-Shabaab extremist group attacked the school. For hours, the militants opened fire on Christian students unencumbered. The university itself is riddled with bullet holes, broken windows, and bloodstains.
The elite security forces, which supposedly knew of the attack prior, arrived at the scene more than 10 hours after the attack started. An official told CNN that the response was delayed because of transportation issues in Nairobi. The official claimed that the gunmen were quickly defeated once the elite team reached the university. Some believe that the lack of response was a result of corruption within the security forces of Kenya.
Investigations concluded that four gunmen had been killed as a result of the attack on the university. One of them has been identified as the son of a Kenyan government official. Abdirahim Mohammed Abdullahi graduated from law school before joining al-Shabaab.
On Sunday night, Kenyan military forces performed airstrikes on al-Shabaab facilities. According to military officials, the airstrikes were part of an ongoing campaign against the terrorist group and not retaliation to the attack on Garissa.
Families of the victims continue to morn and shared their pains and stories. Many of them went through great economic sacrifice to send their loved ones to the institution for high education.
