At least seventeen people, including four Catholic
nuns, were killed on Friday, March 4th when armed men attacked a
care home for the elderly run by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of
Charity.
A group of gunmen raided
the home for the elderly located in the Sheik Osman district of Aden.
According to eyewitness reports, two gunmen mounted guard in front of the facility while
at least four raided the building that houses over 80 patients.
During the raid, four nuns, Two Rwandans, one Indian and a Kenyan were killed. One nun survived the attack by hiding
inside a refrigerator.
After killing
the nuns, the gunmen then moved from room to room handcuffing the
patients and shooting them in the head. Six Ethiopians, a Yemeni cook
and Yemeni guards were also
killed.
The dead and injured were
taken to the city’s state-run Republican hospital and a health centre
run by Medecins Sans Frontieres ( Doctors without Borders). A doctor at the Republican hospital
told the media that some of the dead had arrived with their hands tied
behind their backs. Most had been shot in the head.
Paramedics said they expected the death toll to rise as some of the wounded had serious injuries. Officials and medics were unable to provide a figure for the number of people injured in the attack.
There
were about 80 elderly residents at the home, which was established in
2000 by Missionaries of Charity, a religious order set up by Mother
Teresa. Sunita Kumar, a spokeswoman for the order in the Indian
city of Kolkata, said its members were “absolutely stunned” at the
killing.
"The sisters were to come back but they opted to stay on to serve people in Yemen." she said.
Missionaries
of Charity, which also runs homes for the elderly in Taez, Hodeidah and
Sanaa, is the only organisation to provide such a service in Yemen.
Local religious leader Sheikh Mohammed Mahboob blamed the Aden attack on
ISIL, which considers Christians to be heretics.
"The Islamic fighters have a wrong understanding of Islam" he said.
So far no group has claimed responsibility for Friday's attack, but
reports on the ground indicate that the slaughter was carried out by
Islamic State terrorists or their affiliates.
Yesterday,
March 5, the Vatican condemned the killings. In a statement relased on
behalf of Pope Francis , the Vatican's Secretary of State Pietro
Parolin, said the pontiff was "shocked and profoundly saddened by the
massacre.
"His Holiness Pope Francis was shocked and profoundly saddened to learn
of the killing of four Missionaries of Charity and twelve others at a
home for the elderly in Aden. He sends the assurance of his prayers for
the dead and his spiritual closeness to their families and to all
affected from this act of senseless and diabolical violence. He prays
that this pointless slaughter will awaken consciences, lead to a change
of heart, and inspire all parties to lay down their arms and take up the
path of dialogue. In the name of God, he calls upon all parties in the
present conflict to renounce violence, and to renew their commitment to
the people of Yemen, particularly those most in need, whom the Sisters
and their helpers sought to serve. Upon everyone suffering from this
violence, the Holy Father invokes God’s blessing, and in a special ways
he extends to the Missionaries of Charity his prayerful sympathy and
solidarity".
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