Lamu,KENYA:Villagers of Pandanguo Village in Lamu county are appealing for urgent aid from the government and wellwishers to assist them with food and clothes after they were robbed clean by al shabaab militants who raided the village early Wednesday morning.
The more than 2000 villagers are afraid they might starve since no single grain of food was spared by the militants who went sweeping from house to house collecting any foodstuff they came across.
Among the foodstuff taken by the militants were maize,beans and rice that had recently been distributed to locals as food aid from the national government two days before the raid.
Locals are also in need of bedding and clothes since the militants,who seemed to be on a shopping spree; didn’t also spare any good clothing and bedding they came across leaving many with only the clothes they had on and nowhere to sleep.
Speaking in Wednesday,Pandanguo community spokesperson Adan Golja said all the 185 households in the village were thoroughly frisked and turned upside down by the militants who took with them among other items,food,clothes,utensils,electronics,knives and machetes before fleeing back into the Boni forest.
“No single household was left with food.They took it all.We have nothing to eat as it is.Even the local kiosks were looted clean.We saw them.They were so many of them dressed in army regalia.We don’t know where to begin from and to top it up,the food had just been given to us two days ago as aid from the government and now its gone and we are hungry.We hope the government will still help us,”said Golja.
The only nurse who operates at the Pandanguo dispensary Sharuti Ali said all drugs and supplies were taken by the militants leaving the facility with not even a single pill.
Locals have also appealed to the government and the concerned communication company to have the mast destroyed by the militants repaired to allow for communication; which they said isn’t happening at the moment.
Meanwhile an intense operation in search of the militants has been launched by the KDF and a contigent of other security units in the Boni forest which is believed to be the key hiding hub of the militants and surrounding areas.
Linda Boni Operations Director James Seriani said enough officers had been deployed to conduct the search operation.
