Tuesday March 26, 2019
Mr Muhumed Kalmey, the spokesman of the pastoralist community in Lamu speaks during a meeting with the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Lamu. The pastoralists have accused the government of targeting them in the ongoing war on terror in the region. PHOTO | KALUME KAZUNGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The pastoralists living in Lamu County have accused the government of targeting them in the ongoing war on terror in the region.
Lamu
has more than 3,000 pastoralists living in various areas including
Mkunumbi, Koreni, Pangani, Lumshi, Mlei, Lake Amu, Hongwe and Moa.
In
2015, the national government launched the multi-agency security
operation dubbed Linda Boni whose main objective was to flush out
Al-Shabaab militants believed to be hiding inside the dense Boni Forest.
The operation was later extended to other villages in Lamu West including Witu, Pangani, Pandanguo and Mkunumbi.
Speaking
to journalists in Lamu on Monday, the pastoralists, particularly those
from the Somali community living in Koren and Pangani villages, claimed
to be facing intimidations and frustrations every time a security
crackdown is conducted in the region.
The community’s
spokesman Muhumed Kalmey said that they now live in fear and worry since
their villages are a major target by security agencies, particularly
the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) who have always been conducting impromptu
searches in their houses from time to time.
Mr Kalmey
called on the government to acknowledge that the pastoralists in Lamu
are peace loving citizens and should hence stop viewing them as
Al-Shabaab agents.
Mr
Kalmey appealed to the government to fully involve the pastoralists in
the hunt for terrorists, saying they are more than willing to provide
information to the security agencies if they come across any suspicious
characters in their daily activities.
“It’s unfortunate
that since the insecurity incidences started happening in Lamu, we the
pastoralist community, particularly those of Somali origin, have not
known peace. Security agencies always speak ill of us and point fingers
at us. They think we are hiding criminals or even guns but that is
false. We ask the government that instead of discriminating us and even
treating us like terrorists, it is the high time they incorporated us in
their search for those criminals. We are ready to assist them since we
want Lamu to be peaceful,” said Mr Kalmey.
Mr Yusuf Abdi, a pastoralist, said on many occasions, the security agencies have even threatened them while in their homes.
He
cited an incident late last year where Somalis living in Koreni Village
were ambushed at midnight by the KDF in their search for terrorists and
weapons which the military claimed to be in villagers’ midst.
Those who refused to open their doors had their houses forcibly broken into by the soldiers.
“They
always conduct impromptu searches for guns, believing we have them. We
have become scared since we are being targeted in the war on terror in
this region for nothing. Soldiers have made it a habit to ambush us in
the middle of the night and conduct those searches for weapons and
terrorists. It’s unfair,” said Mr Abdi.
Mr Hassan Ali decried the negative stereotyping of Somalis.
“Once
you say you are Somali, one looks at you as if you are Al-Shabaab.
That’s why even the security agencies in this region target us. But they
should understand that we are innocent citizens of Kenya and we should
be accorded the same treatment like any other citizen,” said Mr Ali.
He
said the cold treatment they receive from the soldiers and all units
conducting the security operation in Lamu has made many shy away from
approaching the security forces with crucial information for fear of
victimisation.
Mrs Fatuma Abdi said the government
should ensure that respect, justice and equality are upheld during the
ongoing security operation in Lamu.
“We don’t oppose
the operation. What we don’t want to see is a state of injustice,
unfairness and imbalance based on tribe or religion,” said Mrs Abdi.
The
pastoralists urged Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to tour
their villages so that they can air their grievances affecting them and
get possible solutions.