▶ Kenyans Flee Moyale, Seek Refuge In Ethiopia - YouTube: ""
'via Blog this'
Kenya the land of contrast and beauty
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Kenyan police arrest 33 Ethiopians in border town - Globaltimes.cn
 E-mail  Print |
Kenyan authorities on Tuesday arrested 33 Ethiopian aliens in the border town of Moyale in the northern part of the East African nation.
Marsabit County Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru said the aliens were arrested by police officers on patrols during an operation to flush out militias following recent inter-ethnic clashes in the region.
"The suspects were on their way to Nairobi via Marsabit when the police officers on patrol intercepted them in the border areas, " Nakoru said on Tuesday.
He said the aliens in their early 20s and 30s were intercepted in Arosa area with no valid documents to cross over to the Kenyan side.
Nakoru said the security agents have increased surveillance along the Ethiopia-Kenya border following recent clashes that saw several people killed and dozens of others injured.
Nakoru warned the brokers aiding the aliens to cross over to the country that their days a numbered. He said senior businessmen were behind the cartels where they aid aliens and criminals to sneak into the country.
"We have deployed police and Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) in Moyale who still continue to patrol the areas until we eliminate militias and other crimes in the area," said Nakoru.
The commissioner said more than 100 aliens cross through the vast region in a week through Nairobi to South Africa in search of employment and other opportunities.
The government is worried over the mass exodus of the aliens from Ethiopia into the country to connect to South Africa where they are promised greener pasture for employment.
"I am warning the brokers that there days are number because we shall not sit back and watch selfish people engage in unlawful business to enrich themselves," said Nakoru
He directed security committees to strengthen their intelligence in order to curb human smuggling and any other unlawful business in the area.
On Dec. 10, the police in Nairobi arrested over 70 Ethiopians during the security operation conducted in Nairobi's residential estates.
The 71 men and women told police they were headed for South Africa in search of employment. Divisional police commander, Barasa Wabomba said they also arrested a man who was hosting the aliens.
Police said they arrested 58 of them earlier on Dec. 9 and 13 on the day before. The suspects were in a house when police stormed and it has been difficult for police to handle them because they neither speak English nor Swahili. It is not the first time that such suspects on transit are arrested.
Tens of Ethiopians are annually arrested in Kenya while on transit. It is not clear how they manage to navigate through various police roadblocks.
Marsabit County Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru said the aliens were arrested by police officers on patrols during an operation to flush out militias following recent inter-ethnic clashes in the region.
"The suspects were on their way to Nairobi via Marsabit when the police officers on patrol intercepted them in the border areas, " Nakoru said on Tuesday.
He said the aliens in their early 20s and 30s were intercepted in Arosa area with no valid documents to cross over to the Kenyan side.
Nakoru said the security agents have increased surveillance along the Ethiopia-Kenya border following recent clashes that saw several people killed and dozens of others injured.
Nakoru warned the brokers aiding the aliens to cross over to the country that their days a numbered. He said senior businessmen were behind the cartels where they aid aliens and criminals to sneak into the country.
"We have deployed police and Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) in Moyale who still continue to patrol the areas until we eliminate militias and other crimes in the area," said Nakoru.
The commissioner said more than 100 aliens cross through the vast region in a week through Nairobi to South Africa in search of employment and other opportunities.
The government is worried over the mass exodus of the aliens from Ethiopia into the country to connect to South Africa where they are promised greener pasture for employment.
"I am warning the brokers that there days are number because we shall not sit back and watch selfish people engage in unlawful business to enrich themselves," said Nakoru
He directed security committees to strengthen their intelligence in order to curb human smuggling and any other unlawful business in the area.
On Dec. 10, the police in Nairobi arrested over 70 Ethiopians during the security operation conducted in Nairobi's residential estates.
The 71 men and women told police they were headed for South Africa in search of employment. Divisional police commander, Barasa Wabomba said they also arrested a man who was hosting the aliens.
Police said they arrested 58 of them earlier on Dec. 9 and 13 on the day before. The suspects were in a house when police stormed and it has been difficult for police to handle them because they neither speak English nor Swahili. It is not the first time that such suspects on transit are arrested.
Tens of Ethiopians are annually arrested in Kenya while on transit. It is not clear how they manage to navigate through various police roadblocks.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Death toll from Nairobi bus blast rises to six: Kenyan police - Indian Express
It was the fourth attack during a week in which a total of 15 people have died since Tuesday. (Reuters)Kenyan police were on Sunday investigating an explosion in a Nairobi bus the day before that killed six people and wounded 30 others, the latest in a string of unclaimed attacks as the country marks 50 years of independence.
The death toll from the blast rose to six on Saturday after two injured people died from their wounds overnight, police said.
Nairobi police chief Benson Kibue said a suspect was being questioned over the attack on the 32-seat vehicle on Saturday, which came from the Eastleigh neighbourhood, dubbed "Little Mogadishu" because it is mainly populated by Somali immigrants and Kenyans of Somali origin.
"We lost two of the victims in hospital where about 30 others are still admitted," Kibue said. "We now have six people dead out of that incident."
Police were trying to determine whether the powerful explosion was caused by a grenade or an improvised explosive device and whether it was placed in the bus, carried by a passenger or flung from outside. The blast hit several cars near the bus, killing at least one of the motorists, according to witnesses.
"We have one suspect who was arrested soon after the incident. He is assisting us in the investigations," Kibue said.
On Sunday, the situation was calm in Eastleigh after police on late Saturday dispersed some rioters in the street where the blast took place. Police forces were not particularly visible in the area, nor in the rest of the Kenyan capital.
It was the fourth attack during a week in which Kenya marked its 50th anniversary of independence from Britain, leaving a total of 15 people dead since Tuesday.
No links have as yet been established between the attacks, none of which has been claimed by any group.
Suspicion for some of them, though, has focused on Kenya's two-year military intervention in neighbouring Somalia to oust Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Kenya sends troops to end militia fighting in north | Reuters
* Fighting blamed on local political squabbles
* Border sealed after thousands flee into Ethiopia
* Local officials say 10 killed, residents say more than 20
By Noor Ali
ISIOLO, Kenya, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Kenya said on Friday it had sent troops to its northern region to stop a week of fighting between rival ethnic groups that has killed at least 10 people and sent thousands fleeing across the border into Ethiopia.
Joseph ole Lenku, the cabinet minister for internal security, said in a statement that parliament had approved the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces. He did not say how many troops had been sent or how long they would remain.
Rural communities in northern Kenya have long clashed over the control of valuable grazing land, but the fighting in the town of Moyale has marked an escalation in tension.
Residents say politicians in the region, some 800 km (500 miles) from the capital Nairobi, are using clan militia to jostle for power in new local administrations that have been formed since a March 4 election, and to settle old scores.
More than 20,000 people have fled into Ethiopia, residents and a Kenya Red Cross worker said. Others are seeking refuge at the local police post. The border has since been closed to prevent militia from entering Kenya, security officials said.
Security officials in Moyale said 10 people had been killed in fierce fighting between rival ethnic groups - Borana on one side and an alliance of Gabra and Burji on the other. They battled with guns and mortars, officials said. Local people put the death toll at more than 20, with dozens wounded.
Issiah Nakoru, the county commissioner, said he had received reports of 10 deaths.
TROOP PATROLS
"We are liaising with security officials in Ethiopia to ensure no foreign fighters cross into Kenya," Nakoru said. He said Kenyan troops patrolling the vast, harsh terrain had arrested several people suspected of involvement in the fighting.
Tit-for-tat clashes have also been reported this month in the northwestern Turkana region, an area where explorer Tullow Oil has discovered oil deposits. More than 10 people have been killed in those clashes, and thousands displaced.
Although Tullow's operations have not been affected by the fighting, the oil company was forced to temporarily halt drilling for two weeks in October after local residents stormed their drilling sites demanding more jobs and benefits.
Kenya has sent in extra security forces to the north in the past, but sporadic and low-key fighting has continued after the officers have pulled out.
Many homesteads in the region have weapons to deter invaders, while herders often carry guns to protect their animals because there is barely any police presence.
The entire arid northern region of Kenya is also awash with guns due to its proximity to unstable neighbours such as Somalia, where al Qaeda-linked militants have been fighting to topple the government, and Ethiopia, where the armed Oromo Liberation Front has made sporadic incursions into Kenya
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Construction of Isiolo-Moyale road halted following violence-Standard Digital News -
 |
| A truck that was burnt last Friday by rowdy youth between Turbi and Walda in Marsabit County [PHOTO: ALI ABDI/STANDARD] |
By ALI ABDI and LIBAN GOLICHA
NAIROBI, KENYA: The Chinese firm constructing the fourth phase of the Isiolo-Moyale road has suspended work due to inter-clan violence in Marsabit County.
In a statement yesterday, China Wu Yi said it suspended work on Sunday afternoon after rivals engaged in the Marsabit conflict attacked its workers and vehicles.
The contractor cited the violence at Turbi in North Horr and Walda and Makutano in Moyale.
“The construction of Turbi-Moyale (A2) road was stopped due to local violence,” said the statement signed by Yi Bao.
Noting the project had been affected by insecurity, the official said the locals from Turbi area hijacked its vehicle and two others on the Marsabit-Turbi Road on Sunday.
A truck was also set ablaze by armed men at Turbi trading centre. Security personnel from Turbi rescued passengers aboard the truck.
RIVAL SIDES
Between last Thursday and Saturday, the contractor said rival sides used heavy weaponry near the project area.
“It was observed that even grenades and mortars were used in the gunfight (between the rival sides),” the statement said.
Last Friday, Yi said two trucks not belonging to the firm were looted and burnt by locals at Walda and Makutano that also affected their work.
At Turbi, Walda and Makutano, he said, the rivals fought with police last Saturday.
The firm said work would only resume if the National Government assures them that their staff were safe and work will not be interrupted in anyway.
Saku MP Ali Rasso condemned the attacks on passengers and vehicles and called on both the county and national governments to protect the locals and contractor’s staff.
Meanwhile, hundreds of passengers have been stranded in both Moyale and Marsabit towns following the week-long violence at Turbi and Makutano.And the Government has ordered residents along Marsabit- Moyale road to open up the highway.
CLEAR THE ROAD
Marsabit County Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru called on residents to clear the road, failure to which the Government will use full force.
He warned residents found attacking vehicles will be arrested and prosecuted.
Mr Nakoru noted that the major blockage was at Turbi and Walda trading centres where vehicles were stoned and burnt.
Armed militia attack Moyale, cut off link to Ethiopia or Kenya -Standard Digital News
MOYALE, KENYA: Armed militia Wednesday morning attacked three cars among them a lorry less than 10 kilometres from Moyale town and cut off Kenya from Ethiopia as the Gabra- Borana conflict intensifies. Wednesday marked the eighth day in which the battle, which has also has cut off the border town from the rest of the country, has seen road transport come to a standstill. The dawn attack saw at least three people seriously injured and have been admitted to Moyale district hospital. Gun shots could be heard from Moyale town from 7.30 am till 9am. “The militias have thrown at least three grenades this morning. They are well armed and we cannot just go after them blindly. They are sparing no one, not even the police,” a security officer based at the Moyale police station told the Standard as he prepared for the counter attack. But by 10am, police were yet to respond. There are currently parts of the road between Moyale and Marsabit where a Gabra cannot pass and others where a Borana will be killed. This morning, the handful of vehicles that attempted to leave the town unsuccessfully were not carrying people from the ‘hostile’ communities depending on the destination of the vehicles. “The militias seem keen to stop movement on the road. It is only recently that we have seen them turn on the motorists, cutting off sections of the road. Mostly the fights were in the wilderness,” the officer said. It is also feared that the militia may be targeting to take hostage of some manyattas. Locals say the militias are increasingly getting emboldened due to the slow response of police. This has been seen them hit close to town. The Gabra- Borana conflict has seen more than 800 households displaced, several houses torched over the past six months. The Standard has learnt that all the five communities have their own militia to protect them from ‘external aggression’ in what is making reconciliation initiatives fail to take off. “We have plans to take opinion leaders and village elders of the warring communities to a neutral place like Isiolo to allow them to talk to one another and call truce,” Mr John Kipsiwa, the Assistant County Commissioner said in an interview.Most area politicians have fled Moyale as the conflict comes closer to the town. But it is the renewed conflict that over the past one week that has left security officers overwhelmed. About ten buses have been grounded with hundreds of passengers stranded at the border town. Moyale borders Ethiopia town and it is a major gateway into Marsabit County and the rest of the North eastern region. Locals blame politics and a land dispute as the causes of conflict that has also seen several cars burnt. This comes at a time when parts of Turkana County have been under attack in a new trend where militia cut off roads, locking out supplies and traders from moving into and out of particular places.
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000099374&story_title=armed-militia-attack-moyale-cut-off-link-to-ethiopia-or-kenya&pageNo=2
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000099374&story_title=armed-militia-attack-moyale-cut-off-link-to-ethiopia-or-kenya&pageNo=2
Friday, November 29, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Kenyan, Somali forces kill 30 Al Shabaab terrorists in joint operation | Firstpost
Kenyan, Somali forces kill 30 Al Shabaab terrorists in joint operation Nov 3, 2013 #al Shabaab #Islamic militancy #Kenya #NewsTracker #Somalia #Terrorism 100 1 CommentEmailPrint Nairobi: At least 30 Al Shabaab militants were killed by joint Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and Somalia National Army (SNA) near the Kenyan border on Saturday, Kenya’s military officials said. The Somali and Kenyan soldiers attacked the militants’ hideout in Kolbio in southern Somalia, Xinhua quoted Kenya Defence Forces spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir as saying. Al Shabaab terrorists killed several people in a Nairobi mall recently. AP “Somali National Army killed over 30 Al Shabaab militants in Kolbio, close to Kenya border,” Chirchir tweeted, adding that seven AK-47 were recovered from the hideout. “The raid was part of AMISOM operational plan for sustained offensive operations against Al Shabaab,” he said. The latest onslaught comes after KDF confirmed Thursday that they had destroyed a training camp used by members of Al Shabaab who attacked an upscale shopping mall in Kenya’s capital Nairobi Sep 21. KDF spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna said the camp, located about 50 km east of Binswor in southern Somalia, was the main target because most of the militants who attacked the Westgate mall in Nairobi received training at the camp. “It was not possible to verify how many militants who were killed during the attack in Binswor on Thursday since the area was sealed off. What I can confirm is that four technicals (military trucks) were destroyed,” Oguna said. The attack at the Westgate shopping mall left at least 70 people dead. Forensic experts are still carrying out investigations to establish those behind the attack. Sources said more than 300 Al Qaeda allied terror group’s recruits were at the camp at the time of the attack and that many of them are believed to have been killed. IANS
Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/world/kenyan-somali-forces-kill-30-al-shabaab-terrorists-in-joint-operation-1208891.html?utm_source=hp-footer
Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/world/kenyan-somali-forces-kill-30-al-shabaab-terrorists-in-joint-operation-1208891.html?utm_source=hp-footer
Friday, October 18, 2013
Kenya: 53 Ethiopian Migrants Held
POLICE in Archers Post in Samburu county are holding 53 Ethiopian nationals arrested yesterday on their way to Nairobi. The Ethiopians in their early 20s were arrested near Lososia and Archers post in Samburu counties on their way to Isiolo and then Nairobi.
Samburu police boss Samuel Muthamia said the foreigners will be charged for being in the country illegally. They came to Kenya in search for menial jobs to feed their starving families.
They told police that they were promised jobs by brokers who abandoned them when they realised police were on their trail. There has been mass exodus of ethiopian aliens into the country claiming heading to south Africa in search of employment.
"The suspects have know valid documents and could not express themselves in any other launguage except Amharic,"said the police chief. He said the police have errected police barriers randomly a cross the region to control illegal immigration of aliens into the country.
Mr Samuel blamed the vastness of the region for the runaway influx of foreigners in to kenya through Moyale on Kenya-Ethiopia borders. "The new law on human trafficking will help us pin down the local involved in habouring and trafficking in human in the region," said OCPD.
Last week, police called on the government to help them enforce the new trafficking law to curb cases of human traficking in the region. They said the penalties imposed on the aliens and the traffickers were linient and that strict penalties imposed to deter them from the activities.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
IGAD ministers pledge co-operation on Karamoja
<
Chaired meeting: First Lady and Karamoja affairs minister Janet Museveni
By Taddeo Bwambale
Ministers from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan have agreed to establish a strong institutional framework to coordinate and harmonise interventions in the Karamoja Cluster.
The cluster comprises parts of North West Kenya, North East Uganda, South West Ethiopia and South East of South Sudan.
The resolution is part of proposals agreed on by ministers from the four countries who met in Kampala on Monday at a conference on peace, security and development in Karamoja.
The conference was organised by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and chaired by the First Lady and Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Janet Museveni.
It was attended by Kenya's cabinet secretary and interior minister, Joseph Ole Lenku; South Sudan's foreign affairs minister, Benjamin Marial; Ethiopia's foreign affairs state minister, Omod Obang Olom and Uganda's state minister for internal affairs, James Baba and several MPs from the region.
According to a joint communiqué issued after the meeting, the ministers also resolved to hold an annual Ministerial Forum to monitor and review interventions in the Karamoja Cluster.
Although Karamoja is located in four different countries, the area shares similar challenges related to remoteness and under-development. The area is also severely affected by natural disasters, drought and insecurity.
The minsters' conference held at Speke Resort Munyonyo was preceded by a meeting of Parliamentarians on Sunday, and a meeting of regional experts on peace, security and development on Friday.
The meetings reviewed national and regional policy frameworks and programmes on peace, security and development in the Karamoja cluster.
According to a statement from IGAD's Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN), the ministers endorsed a set of innovative solutions to support the speeding-up of attaining peace, security and development in the region.
An IGAD Parliamentary Forum on peace, security and development of the Karamoja Cluster was established during the meeting.
In light of recent natural resource discoveries in the region, states are increasingly looking to the areas to drive the region's development.
In addition, member states are intensifying national and regional infrastructure, as well as socio-economic development schemes to transform the region
Ministers from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan have agreed to establish a strong institutional framework to coordinate and harmonise interventions in the Karamoja Cluster.
The cluster comprises parts of North West Kenya, North East Uganda, South West Ethiopia and South East of South Sudan.
The resolution is part of proposals agreed on by ministers from the four countries who met in Kampala on Monday at a conference on peace, security and development in Karamoja.
The conference was organised by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and chaired by the First Lady and Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Janet Museveni.
It was attended by Kenya's cabinet secretary and interior minister, Joseph Ole Lenku; South Sudan's foreign affairs minister, Benjamin Marial; Ethiopia's foreign affairs state minister, Omod Obang Olom and Uganda's state minister for internal affairs, James Baba and several MPs from the region.
According to a joint communiqué issued after the meeting, the ministers also resolved to hold an annual Ministerial Forum to monitor and review interventions in the Karamoja Cluster.
Although Karamoja is located in four different countries, the area shares similar challenges related to remoteness and under-development. The area is also severely affected by natural disasters, drought and insecurity.
The minsters' conference held at Speke Resort Munyonyo was preceded by a meeting of Parliamentarians on Sunday, and a meeting of regional experts on peace, security and development on Friday.
The meetings reviewed national and regional policy frameworks and programmes on peace, security and development in the Karamoja cluster.
According to a statement from IGAD's Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN), the ministers endorsed a set of innovative solutions to support the speeding-up of attaining peace, security and development in the region.
An IGAD Parliamentary Forum on peace, security and development of the Karamoja Cluster was established during the meeting.
In light of recent natural resource discoveries in the region, states are increasingly looking to the areas to drive the region's development.
In addition, member states are intensifying national and regional infrastructure, as well as socio-economic development schemes to transform the region
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Al-Shabaab: the rise of a youth-led Islamist movement | World news | The Observer
Fighters from Somali's al-Shabaab have continually surprised observers, who predicted their downfall early on
Email
Sources claim there have been at least four plots to attack affluent targets such as the Westgate mall. Photograph: Kabir Dhanji/EPA
It is only seven years since Ethiopian forces swept into Somalia with the political and military backing of the US to topple the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamist movement that had taken control of much of south and central Somalia after years of disastrous feuding between warlords. Ethiopia's vastly superior forces routed the youth militias loyal to the courts with hundreds killed or driven from the cities.
However, the Ethiopian intervention was the cue for the emergence of what had been the unheralded youth wing of the courts movement, "the shabaab" – meaning "youth" in Somali. These young fighters regrouped and took the war to the Ethiopians, who wearied of the guerrilla conflict and withdrew.
In their absence another force under the command of the African Union – made up of troops from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and latterly Sierra Leone, as well as Kenyans in the south – attempted to hold al-Shabaab, or Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, to give the group its full name, at bay.
By 2010 the Islamic extremists held sway over much of south and central Somalia and appeared set to take the capital, Mogadishu, itself, where an appalling urban war was being fought. The future of the weak internationally backed transitional government appeared bleak until the arrival in 2010 of a devastating drought and famine that eroded support for the movement after it opposed foreign aid.
A year later al-Shabaab surprised many observers by withdrawing from Mogadishu in what it called a "tactical retreat" into the southern hinterlands of Somalia. Then, it lost its economic lifeline in the southern port city of Kismayo when Kenyan forces, fighting alongside a former warlord Ahmed Madobe, overran the city last year.
Since then there have been many predictions of the collapse of the movement but it has proved adept at managing the divisions between Somalia's fractious clans and disrupting attempts to form an effective government in Mogadishu in a series of terror attacks.
Many of those attacks follow a similar formula to that in Nairobi, with gunmen following in the wake of car bombs or grenades to inflict the maximum number of casualties. In the past fortnight there was an attack on a popular restaurant in the Somali capital, the owner of which has suffered repeated assaults on his businesses.
The Islamists have long been split between Somali nationalists, who see their jihad in local terms, and foreign fighters who see the conflict in the Horn of Africa as part of a global struggle. The international jihadists showed their influence when they conducted bombings in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on the night of the 2010 World Cup, killing more than 70.
A spate of grenade attacks in Kenya followed the country's decision in late 2011 to intervene in the war to the north of its borders. Most of the casualties, until Saturday, suffered in the remote frontier towns of Kenya's north-eastern province and in the poorer immigrant neighbourhoods of Nairobi. However, there have been at least four plots to attack affluent targets such as the Westgate mall, thwarted by intelligence agencies, sources told the Observer.
There were fears on Saturday night that anger over the assault would spill over into attacks on the large Somali minority in Nairobi. The New York-based monitor Human Rights Watch reported earlier this year that Kenyan police and security services had carried out widespread abuses of Somali refugees under the cover of responding to terrorist threats. Kenya hosts nearly 750,000 Somali refugees, many of whom live in the complex of camps at Dadaab just inside the country's border with Somalia.
Al-Shabab claims Nairobi attack, warns Kenyan troops to leave Somalia -PressTV -
Al-Shabab claims Nairobi attack, warns Kenyan troops to leave Somalia
Kenyan troops surround Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall where a militant attack left at least 39 people dead and 150 more injured on September 21, 2013.
Sat Sep 21, 2013 9:54PM GMT
4
Last Update
Kenya has about 4,000 army soldiers in southern Somalia, where they have been battling the al-Shabab fighters since 2011.
The Kenyan troops are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) that gets training and equipment from the United States.
The Kenyan troops are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) that gets training and equipment from the United States.
Somalia’s al-Shabab fighters have claimed responsibility for Saturday’s deadly attack in a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, warning the Kenyan government to withdraw its troops from their country.
An al-Shabab spokesman said in a statement issued on Saturday that his group was behind the attack on Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall that left at least 39 people dead and 150 more injured.
"The Christian government of Kenya invaded our country in October 2011 killing many innocent civilians with their military jets," Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said.
"We have warned Kenya of that attack but it ignored (us), still forcefully holding our lands ... while killing our innocent civilians," Rage said.
"This led the Mujahideen to wage revenge attacks on Kenya. Today, a unit of al-Shabab al-Mujahideen attacked an important center for Kenya, taking control of it," he added.
"If you want Kenya in peace, it will not happen as long as your boys are in our lands," Rage said in the statement.
Kenya has more than 4,000 army soldiers in southern Somalia, where they have been battling the al-Shabab fighters since 2011.
The Kenyan troops are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) that gets training and equipment from the United States.
Somalia has not had an effective central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
However, MPs meeting in Mogadishu elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president of Somalia with a big majority in September 2012.
The weak Western-backed government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab fighters for more than six years and is propped up by the 10,000-strong AMISOM force from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, and Kenya.
GJH/NN/AS
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Uneasy calm returns to Moyale following deadly clan clashes - Sabahionline.com
By Bosire Boniface in Garissa
A relative calm has returned between the Gabra and Borana communities on the Kenyan-Ethiopian border after simmering political tension boiled over last week, leaving at least 12 people dead and more than 60,000 displaced.
![A view of Moyale, a border town that spans Kenya and Ethiopia, on August 22nd. Violence between the Gabra and Borana clans in recent weeks killed at least 12 people and displaced more than 60,000. [Bosire Boniface/Sabahi]](http://sabahionline.com/shared/images/2013/09/03/kenya-moyale-clashes-original.jpg)
![The distance between Moyale in Kenya and Ethiopia is less than one kilometre. [Bosire Boniface/Sabahi]](http://sabahionline.com/shared/images/2013/09/03/kenya-moyale-border.jpg)
The recent escalation of violence started August 22nd when three people were killed in Marsabit, and a lorry driver was attacked on the Nairobi-Moyale highway. Two days later, three more people were killed in skirmishes between the Borana and Gabra communities in Moyale.
Between August 29th and 30th, six more people were killed and more than 20,000 people fled over the border to Ethiopia, which is less than a kilometre from Moyale town, Kenya Red Cross Society co-ordinator Stephen Bunaya told Sabahi.
"About 40,000 others are camping inside Kenya in schools," he said. "The schools have been on holiday and when they resume the families will have to vacate."
During the violence, Bunaya said, more than 50 houses including business premises were set on fire.
Conflicts between the two communities are common and often triggered by politics and revenge, said Ali Abdi, a journalist based in Isiolo who is familiar with the clashes.
The Borana are the majority in Moyale district, while the Gabra are the majority in neighbouring Marsabit district. In the March 4th general elections, the Gabra swept virtually all the top county seats creating an undercurrent of discontent among the Borana, Abdi explained.
"There has been a feeling among the Boranas in Marsabit County that they should have had at least two leaders in the top county seats to ensure they are adequately represented," he told Sabahi.
The move by the national and county governments to settle Gabra families around Sololo in July sparked the violence that broke out mid-August, Abdi said.
"The Borana protested the move claiming the area is their ancestral land and the Gabra families had been brought in from Ethiopia," he said. "There was an attack on the resettled families and what followed was retaliation."
The situation escalated when the two communities' clansmen who live in Ethiopia got involved. "There has been political discontent, but the settling of the Gabra families ignited the violence," Abdi said.
Residents call for peace
Residents who spoke to Sabahi said the situation was calm now, but remained tense below the surface.
"It is calm at the moment because the security officers are on patrol but no one is willing to return to their homes for fear of a possible attack," said Huka Hassan Ali, a 34-year-old Gabra resident of Funyatta neighbourhood.
"The attackers came to us and told us to vacate the land because it belongs to the Borana," he said. "I believe Borana politicians are behind these attacks because there was talk that the Gabra should not expect to live on Borana land if they cannot support their leaders."
He said the fighting has been affecting all businesses. "We just want normalcy to return so that we can [provide] for our families," he said. "I have had enough of the fight sparked by our political differences."
Abdi Golicha, 37, of Odda neighbourhood, said the violence claimed the life of his cousin.
"I am a Borana but the violence has left me mourning," he said. "The violence teaches us that no one has the monopoly on violence. We should live together in harmony and bury our differences. I am hurt by the loss, but I am not planning any revenge for the sake of peace."
County government pledges to be inclusive
In a bid to tame the violence from spreading to other towns, the government on Thursday (August 29th) deployed more security forces to the region, including the military, Marsabit County Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru told Sabahi.
"We are preventing a pattern from previous lessons where an attack between the two communities spread to other towns like Marsabit," he said. "We are also providing security escort to motorists."
Nakoru said they are also working with Ethiopian authorities to control the feuding tribes on both sides of the border. So far, local Kenyan authorities have arrested at least 40 people and are questioning some community leaders to establish their roles in the latest violence, he said.
Marsabit County Governor Ukur Yatani said that leaders from the two communities have called for a ceasefire as they a seek solution to the violence.
"Violence was the last thing we expected as we prepare to implement development projects," he told Sabahi. "We just received our share of money from the national government and we will not entertain trouble makers to derail progress."
Besides the Borana and Gabra tribes, there are Burji, Somalis, Gare and smaller tribes who will all have a slice of the development pie, he said.
"In the previous systems there was unfairness in the distribution of resources and jobs, but under my watch no one will feel left out," he said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)