Tuesday October 23, 2018
STEPHEN ASTARIK0
mandera governor Ali Roba has a word with his Garissa counterpart Ali Korane durring the two days anti radicalization conference that was held in mandera town.
Leaders from Northeastern unanimously agreed on Monday that terrorism can’t be ended with guns and called for amnesty for youth in al Shabaab.
At the opening of a conference in Mandera on countering terrorism and violent extremism, the leaders said terrorism cannot be combated and ended with guns.
They called on the central government to extend amnesty to youth who have joined al Shabaab to enable them come home. Many have said they won’t return because they fear the security forces will murder them.
Garissa governor Ali Korane who presided over the conference and called on residents to fight Shabaab and not to shield extremists in their midst.
“You cannot fight a problem if you are part of it. Our first commitment should be to engage the government and see to it that our youths in the ranks of al Shabaab are given amnesty after returning from Somalia. That’s because they are the genesis of all the problems we are facing today,” said Korane.
Since 2012, Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties have born the brunt of terror attacks targeting non-locals and government officials, including security officers. the KDF entered Somalia in 2012 to pursue al Shabaab. The militants say attacks in Kenya are intended to force the state to leave Somalia.
“I appeal to security officers that we form a joint committee and request Interior CS Fred Matiang’i to give an amnesty. [He should] encourage them to come back, integrate them in society an give them a livelihood,” Korane said.
Mandera governor Ali Roba blamed al Ahabaab sympathisers for abetting terror activities, saying they aim to bring the area economy to its knees.
Roba, who chairs the Frontier Counties Development Council, said the aim of shabaab is to cripple business in the region and completely disrupt the way of life of residents.
He said several key projects have either stalled or failed to start bcause of violence. Therefore it’s necessary to fight the terrorists he said.
“We are not only suffering as a result of targeted terror attacks on our population but we also seem to have fallen into the trap set by the terror cells of dividing people along religious and communal lines,” Roba said.
He said that while Shabab are targeting mainly Somalis in Somalia, they are pitting Kenyans against each other. Roba said they target non-locals, frightening them away and thereby hurting the economy, Their aim in Kenya is economic sabotage, as in Somalia, the governor said.
“By killing non-local quarry workers they have successfully managed to bring down the entire construction industry which is the only major economic opportunity for thousands of Mandera residents,” Roba said.
He said many chools have remained without teachers, crippling the entire education sector. Terrorists also have disrupted the health sector by killing health workers,” Roba said.
Mandera county commissioner Kutswa Olaka urged the community and leaders to stop blame games and take a united approach to fight terror.
He said that it will be much easier to eradicate terrorism if religious leaders, political leaders, security agenies and the community work together as a team to actively help the government.
Participants included Isiolo governor Mohmed Kuti, Wajir deputy governor Ahmed Mukhtar, Mandera East MP Mohamed Omar, Lafey MP Abdi Mude and his Mandera North counterpart Bashir Abdullahi. Clery, security officers, elders and comunity leaders attended.
The three counties border Somalia from where many militants ttack. Kenya invaded the militants in Somalia in 2012 after al Sbabaab attackers maintained a spate of attacks on Kenya’s coast.