Attack on Kenya is an attack on all humanity

Two men stand next to burning cars at the scene of an explosion at a hotel complex in Nairobi on January 15, 2019, AFP PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • The issue: Terror attack
  • Our view: Africa’s security and stability will not be achieved through resolutions on paper and conference declarations or pronouncements, but rather by blood and iron.

Kenya is mourning. So is all humanity. The callous attack by the terrorists on Dusit D2 Hotel in Nairobi’s Westlands that took lives of 14 innocent and defenceless people and injured dozens of others on Tuesday left the entire region and the world grieving. The Kenyan security agencies must be applauded for an outstanding job they did in the most difficult moment and daring circumstances to rescue 170 hostages and prevent escalation of fatalities.

The attack on Kenya is an attack on all humanity. The region is grieving. The world is grieving. We join our Kenyan brothers and sisters in the mourning and pray that God comforts the bereaved and rests the soul of the dead in eternal peace. We condemn the heartless attack on the vulnerable people who had no means of fighting back or challenging their tormentors.

But what is most important is for all right thinking actors to join hands in fighting terrorism in our midst. If the al-Shabaab, who have claimed responsibility for the attack, thought their senseless shedding of innocent would dampen the efforts to restore peace and security in the region, it is time for all the responsible players to ensure that these enemies of mankind do not achieve their evil dream.

The tragedy should instead inspire all of us to render the terrorists’ mission a futility and prove to them that no amount of heinous attacks will diminish the resolve to deny them space in the region. The planners and sponsors of this bloodshed should be hunted wherever they are hiding or harboured and be held to account. It is not an easy task though. It requires everybody’s contribution, not just by security agencies or governments.

The Tuesday attack in neigbouring Kenya proves nobody in the region is safe. The regional states and Africa must come together and multiply the initiatives to disable al-Shabaab’s capacity to wreak further havoc. One way is to deny them space in their bases in Somalia.

If it requires deployment of more troops in Mogadishu, so be it. But all African governments, under the African Union, that pledged troop contribution must honour their commitment. The AU must not just be a white elephant. It must take action to reflect its pledge for stability on the continent.

Africa’s security and stability will not be achieved through resolutions on paper and conference declarations or pronouncements, but rather by blood and iron to eliminate the perpetrators and sponsors of terrorism. The Westlands attack is a sufficient indicator that the impending AU troop reduction in Somalia is not a military strategy that will achieve anything of security value.

It might be a boomerang that will erase all the successes that have so far been achieved and render the long tedious peace mission for Somalia a complete fiasco at a time the region is breathing hope for stability that has eluded Somalia for nearly 30 years.