Al-Shabaab Hostage Crisis in Kenya Leaves at Least 70 Dead

Armed men attacked a university in northern Kenya on Thursday, April 1, taking 600 students and staff hostage, resulting in the deaths of dozens. While Kenyan officials initially reported at least 21 fatalities, The New York Times stated that the Kenya National Disaster Operations Center tweeted that the death toll had risen to at least 70, with 79 others injured. Reports from Nairobi indicated that following a Kenyan military assault on the Garissa University campus to end the hostage situation, heavy gunfire was heard. The extremist Islamist group Al-Shabaab from Somalia claimed responsibility for the attack. In the aftermath, Joseph Nkaissery, Kenya's Interior Minister, stated that 533 students remained in captivity, while 282 had been freed. The total number of students at the university is 815, with 60 staff members, including the university president, still held by the attackers. Joseph Boinett, a police official in Kenya, confirmed that there was a shootout between police forces and the attackers, adding, 'We have received reports that the attackers were shooting indiscriminately inside the university compound.' The police also announced the arrest of at least one suspect who attempted to flee the scene after the attack. Students who managed to escape reported that the armed attackers stormed the university campus at 5 AM local time, used explosives, and opened fire on students. Nicholas Natulo, a university student, recounted, 'When the attack happened, most of us were asleep. We heard loud gunfire and explosions. Everyone ran for their lives. Several students were killed. I only saw three armed men heading towards the dormitory. There was no one to help us during the attack. Police arrived more than an hour later.' Meanwhile, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta urged the public to remain calm, stating, 'In these moments, all citizens across the country must be vigilant, and we will continue to fight to defeat the enemy.'