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News > World

#SomeOneTellCNN Trends as Kenyans Mock 'Hotbed of Terror' Claim

  • Obama is set to receive a warm welcome in Kenya.

    Obama is set to receive a warm welcome in Kenya. | Photo: Reuters

Published 23 July 2015
Opinion

CNN says Kenya is mired in terror, but Kenyans say the media outlet doesn't know what it's talking about.

Kenyans took to social media Thursday to mock CNN for describing their country as a “hotbed of terror.”

“President Barack Obama is not just heading to his father's homeland, but to a region that's a hotbed of terror,” CNN claimed in a report on warnings militant group al-Shabab could be plotting an attack to coincide with the president's visit.

While giving no clear evidence a large scale attack is imminent, the report included warnings intelligence experts suspect Somali militant group al-Shabab has somehow been tipped off to Obama's widely publicized visit.

"They all know he is coming," CNN cited one government insider as stating.

Kenya's government has prepared for the visit by closing roads and beefing up security. Nairobi's streets are lined with vendors selling Obama t-shirts, posters and even life sized cardboard cutouts of the U.S. president.

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While Obama is set for a warm welcome in the capital, Kenyans are less impressed with CNN's reporting. Although al-Shabab has long posed a security threat to the country, many ordinary Kenyans have taken to social media demanding the news network apologize for labeling their nation a “hotbed of terror.”

Some social media users hit back at the network, insinuating its reporting fed into negative stereotypes of Africa. On Twitter, #SomeoneTellCNN is trending worldwide.

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