I received this plea for help on a Baha'i list. I forward it to you in
hopes that you will
find time to pray for the people of Kenya.
Sincerely,
Sandi in Boise
On 1/2/08, jonathan rezin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Dear Friends, Family, and Associates,
I am writing to request your assistance with an extremely challenging
issue.... As some of you are aware my wife is from Kenya. Our family lives
their now.. and are in grave danger...
Within the the last 3 days there has erupted a huge campaign of violence,
ethnic cleansing and tribal warfare from the alleged rigging of the
presidential election leading to the re-election of Kibaki. I will not
relate the details as they are all readily available on the websites I
include at the bottom of this email... but the basic reality is that the
country is entering a state of warfare... Marshall law has been declared by
the president... a curfew... riot police are out in streets throughout the
country... if you are out past curfew you are beaten or shot... looting and
rioting has decimated many of the shops in the town centers... many I and my
family would frequent...leaving many without basic supplies to live. The
President has shut off all the radio stations... all you hear is the eerie
sound of static as you scan the airwaves... The television stations are only
broadcasting un-interupted movies... no news.. no announcements... Everyone
in Kenya uses pre-paid calling cards for cell phones.. and the president has
ordered them to stop being sold... He has stopped all flow of information
internally... We had to ask our mom not to call her friends and conserve
what little credit she has.. we now have to call regularly to check on the
situation... even the phone networks have been going down... He has shut the
water supply off to Nairobi City (the largest and most developed city in
east africa)... There are frequent blackouts... The two major tribes
representing the presidential opponents are Kikuyu and Luo. My Wife and
Family are Luo. Kikuyus are attacking and killing Luos en-masse throughout
the country... and Luo are killing Kikuyu around the country... within the
last day.. mass killings have begun.. In Lou towns Kikuyus have begun
killing Luos.. locking Luo social clubs while people are inside and burning
them down... over 50 Kikuyu women and children sought refuge in a church
after their homes were burned and an angry mob of youth locked them in the
church and set fire to it killing 35... those who escaped were met on the
outside with the mob... beaten... and burned to death in a kitchen garden
outside the church... decimation of neighborhoods, slums, and villages where
supporters of either candidate are being burned to the ground.. with people
inside....These atrocities are reminiscent of the beginnings of the Genocide
which took place in Rwanda (The next Door neighbor to kenya)...
My Mother In Law in kenya received word from a friend in government that
Kibaki was about to be announced the winner off the election and that she
should rush to the grocery store because it was about to get very bad... she
sent my cousins to the store to buy what food she could afford... that night
3 local social spots where my family would regularly hang out were locked up
and burnt down with people inside... Luckily my family was all at home
anticipating the violence to come...They are locked in their small
apartment.. 2 small bedrooms in a stone apartment structure. They have a
small security gate before the front door which they have padlocked shut...
My brother in law... lost track of his family when their neighborhood was
attacked, people killed, and burnt to the ground... he ran around searching
all night and luckily he was able to locate them... they rushed to my mother
in laws home... He, His Wife, and Small children had to pass through streets
littered with bodies... there are now over 14 people in this tiny
apartment... they only have food for a couple more days... the stores are
dangerous if impossible to get to... most stores have been shut or ransacked
so there is no food anyway... what food is left is being sold at very high
costs... Gunshots are heard round the clock and throughout the night...
I paint this picture to give an idea of the severity of the situation... I
watch and feel helpless... Many who have watched Hotel Rwanda can remember
that feeling of "What did we / could we have done to prevent this..." This
is a similar situation... I am not sure of the best remedy for it.. but it
is apparent that something needs to be done before the violence, civil
unrest and massacres extend any further... How can I sit by and watch
another Rwanda or Somalia take place without so much as opening my mouth...
and the fact that my family is directly involved impels me to act with
determination. Things may get better on their own... maybe in a few days...
a few weeks... a few months... but for each day it doesn't... lives are
lost.. families shattered.. and we inch closer to genocide... how many times
did people assume that it would probably work itself out in Rwanda or
Somalia.... and thereby delay their own action... inaction enabled a spark
to become a flame and a flame into an inferno.
I am writing to my congress people in Los Angeles... imploring them to press
the US govt. and the UN to intervene... The only way to ensure my families
safety is to ensure peace in Kenya... Please take a moment to do
something... write to your congress person or call them and urge them to
address the issue of the unrest in Kenya with haste... Each day that passes
people are dying and being ripped from their homes... only 250 people have
been documented killed so far... thousands injured and over 70,000 made
homeless in 3 days... This does not include those who are fleeing and are
undocumented by the statistics. I mentioned hotel Rwanda.. and the vivid
picture it painted which brought us all a bit of shame... now picture your
family in that hotel... being left to die as other countries get their own
people out... this is more than a movie... My family is at serious risk...
and I am praying for their safety. Please take a moment and help be a part
of bringing about peace... not only for my own families but for all of
Kenya...
Sincerely,
Jon and Auntieclare Rezin
SITES WITH INFO ABOUT THE SITUATION IN KENYA:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm
http://www.nationmedia.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/
HOW TO FIND YOUR CONGRESS PERSON:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
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