Al-Shabaab militants ambushed and took control of a village in Lamu country. According to AllAfrica about 100 suspected al-Shabaab militantsmbushed Basuba Village in Lamu East Sub-County on 15 August 2015 and preached to the residents for one hour. Quoting an eyewitness, AllAfrica reports: "militants invaded the village at 5 am, before flushing out villagers from their houses and preached to them until around 6 am. They ordered the more than 300 villagers to gather in one place where they preached to them." Following the attack, reports suggest that residents in some villages in the county are leaving their homes for fear of further attacks.
Ashagrie, persecution analyst for World Watch Research, explains: "Christians in Kenya have been living under constant threat posed by al-Shabaab. This is particularly the case for Christians living in northeastern and coastal areas. What makes the situation more complex is the fact that al-Shabaab has been using different tactics. The current tactic of taking control of a village and preaching may be indicating two important factors: First, the militants may be trying to present themselves as something more than just a bloodthirsty group. This is a part of al-Shabaab"s PR. Secondly, it could be possible that the terrorist group is taking the opportunity to reach out to potential recruits. Either way, the incident is an indication that al-Shabaab is a potent threat to Christians in the country."
