85 'radicalized' Kenyan youth surrender

Friday, May 29, 2015

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NAIROBI — Some 85 young people "radicalized" by terrorist groups in East Africa have surrendered to the Kenyan government, the country's Interior Ministry announced Friday.

"The amnesty period granted to radicalized youth has been successful; 85 youths have surrendered to the authorities," ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka told Anadolu Agency by phone.

"So far, our countrywide tally shows that 85 youths who had been radicalized have surrendered to the government," Njoka said, adding that the move came within the context of "the amnesty period announced by the cabinet secretary for interior".

Njoka added that the government would continue to accept young people who wanted to surrender, even after the expiry of the amnesty period.

He went on to stress that none of them would be subject to any form of victimization.

In a statement issued last month, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery urged all those who had been recruited by the Al-Shabaab militant group to turn themselves over to government offices for rehabilitation.

Nkaissery's statement came in the wake of Al-Shabaab's bloody attack on a university campus in the country's northern town of Garissa, which claimed the lives of 148 people, mostly students.

In response, Kenya announced a ten-day grace period for those who had been recruited by Al-Shabaab to turn themselves in.

Late last month, Nkaissery gave in to pressure from the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and extended the amnesty period by a further two weeks.

"The 85 young people are currently undergoing rehabilitation," Njoka said, while refraining from disclosing the specific location for security reasons.

Njoka urged parents to report missing children to the authorities, calling on the parents of those who had been radicalized to encourage their sons to turn themselves in.

Kenya has recently witnessed a spate of terror attacks by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militant group, which has vowed to continue carrying out attacks in Kenya as long as the East African country maintains a military presence in Somalia.

Recently, authorities in Kenya warned the public to remain vigilant, claiming that the militants had changed tactics and were now planning to hit soft targets in the East African country.

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