Kenya: Corpses of Ghanaian poet, 67 others recovered

Nine more bodies have been discovered
inside the Westgate shopping centre,
raising the death toll to 68, as Kenyan
officials vowed that the siege would “end
tonight.”
A major assault is ongoing against Al-
Shabaab gunmen in an attempt to end a
siege in a shopping centre in Nairobi,
Kenyan officials have said.
Up to 15 terrorists remain inside the
centre, holding an unknown number of
hostages. At least 49 people are still
missing.
Ghanaian poet and diplomat Kofi
Awoonor is among the 68 killed during
the attack on Westgate Mall. He died on
Saturday, aged 78, from injuries sustained
in the attack on Westgate Mall, Nairobi,
Telegraph UK reports.
The Ghanaian government confirmed
Awoonor’s death early Sunday morning.
Awoonor’s son had been shot in the
shoulder during the attack, for which
Somali militant group Al-Shabab has
claimed responsibility, and was treated
and discharged from hospital late on
Saturday.
Awoonor was in Nairobi to speak at the
Storymoja Hay Festival, a four-day
celebration of writing, thinking and
storytelling. Along with Ghanaian poets
Nii Parkes and Kwame Dawes, he was due
to perform on Saturday evening as part of
a showcase of award-winning poetry from
both sides of Africa.
Gunshots and explosions were heard in
and around the Westgate shopping centre
and soldiers were seen moving into the
building. Helicopters hovered overhead.
Police conceded that the death toll could
be “much, much higher”, after reports
from inside of multiple bodies.
The attack began when gunmen from the
Islamist Shabaab group burst into the
upmarket mall yesterday afternoon armed
with guns and grenades. Unconfirmed
reports suggest women as well as men
took part in the attack.
Some of those killed were reportedly
executed after failing to recite a Muslim
prayer at gunpoint. Others were shot at
the entrance to the mall as they tried to
escape.
The Kenyan Red Cross estimate at least
200 people have been injured. The group
have set up a webpage for anyone
worried friends or relatives might be
caught up in incident.
A Foreign Office spokesman said three
Britons were among those killed and
warned the number is likely to rise.
Prime Minister David Cameron
condemned the “despicable attack,”
saying it was an act of “appalling
brutality.”
“Because the situation is ongoing, we
should prepare ourselves for further bad
news,” he added.
More than 1,000 people have so far been
evacuated from the shopping centre but
an unknown number remain inside.
Security forces have taken control of the
upper and lower levels of the building,
and an army spokesman told Sky News
they were trying to secure the second
floor where the terrorists may be hiding.
Other reports suggested the attackers are
holed up in a toilet block next to a
supermarket on the ground floor of the
complex.
Two Canadians are confirmed to have
been killed in the attack, while two French
citizens and a Dutch woman are also
among the dead.
The Somalia-based Shabaab militant
group claimed responsibility and warned
of further attacks.
President Kenyatta said one of his
nephews and his nephew’s fiancee were
among the 68 people confirmed killed.
“They shall not get away with their
despicable and beastly acts,” the
President said in an emotional speech to
the nation. “We will punish the
masterminds swiftly and indeed very
painfully.”