In a tragic series of events, two South Korean missionaries were kidnapped on Monday evening in northern Kenya, near the Ethiopian border.
Local authorities reported that the region, plagued by frequent armed raids, has seen a surge in violence despite recent government efforts to restore order.
The missionaries, a South Korean man and his mother-in-law, were taken from their home in the village of Odda around 9 p.m., according to Marsabit County Commissioner James Kamau. The last trace of the man’s mobile phone signal was near the Ethiopian border, but efforts to locate them have since failed, as the phone has been switched off.
Marsabit County Governor Mohamud Ali confirmed the abduction and noted that the victims have been held incommunicado since the incident.
In a separate attack on the same night, gunmen in “jungle attire” shot dead eight people and burned their bodies beside the lorry they were traveling in, about 100 kilometers west of Moyale. The violence in the arid borderlands underscores the persistent insecurity in the area, where local armed groups continue to wreak havoc despite ongoing security operations.
