Unsuspecting tourists could have mistaken them for shooting stars. But they kept on coming. One after another, like fireworks.
This was another naval exercise by the Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) conducted earlier this month, on the night of July 9, at the start of the tourist season on Lamu Island--and just weeks before Kenya’s elections.
The show of force went on for an hour, alternating between live mortars and storms of gunshots as a response to the brutal and indiscriminate beheadings and killings of innocent civilians by al-Shabaab
...
the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord..., an al Qaeda affiliate in nearby Somalia, just a few days earlier.
Lamu and neighboring islands are a part of the Swahili Coast facing the Indian Ocean in eastern Kenya. Culturally, the region is distinct from the rest of Kenya, influenced by trade with the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent, and even China.
The population descends from five or six original families who have been on the islands for the past 400 years. Most practice Sunni Islam with centuries of Sufi spirituality, historically mainstream Kenyan Islam, with an emphasis on peaceful coexistence with all members of Kenyan society.
Modern-day Lamu County is comprised of two parts: Mainland and the Islands. The major islands are Shela, Lamu Island ("Lamu Town"), and Manda. Tourism, primarily from Europe, makes up most of the economy.