Kenyan Christians alarmed by increased persecution from militants in region

Church leaders say attacks by Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants in the northeast region of Kenya are increasingly taking on an anti-Christian tenor, including targeted executions of non-Muslims.

At a news conference in Nairobi in mid-December, the leaders said Muslims must redouble efforts to preach religious tolerance and end youth radicalization.

In what the leaders describe as a dangerous trend, 64 Christians were executed in or near Mandera, a town on the border with Somalia, in two incidents in the past three weeks. In both incidents, non-Muslims were separated from Muslims.