Protesters took to the streets of the southern Somali town of Jilib today to condemn Kenya over an air strike against a famine relief refugee camp, a strike which killed at least five civilians and wounded dozens of others.
The Kenyan military initially claimed the civilian deaths were “al-Shabaab propaganda” and appears to have yet to address Doctors Without Borders confirming that the killings were very real.
Instead, they’re moving forward with threats to launch “imminent” air strikes against more towns, saying that civilians should avoid any al-Shabaab-run refugee camps in the area because they will be bombed “any minute.”
Rights groups have been warning that the Kenyan invasion of the region has made an already serious famine a complete disaster, and while recent rainfall has raised the prospect of some farming, the attacks on refugee camps suggest that even if there is an influx of food it will be difficult for the average civilian to get it.