Mandera Archives - Jean-Jacques Cornish

Pre-election violence continues in Kenya

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 22:00:00 +0000

Al Shabaab’s made good on its threat to disrupt Kenyan elections.

Militants attacked a police station in the Mandera area in the north east of the country killing one officer.

There are fears that general violence will keep voters away from the polls next Tuesday.

No-one has a completely clear conscience about pre-election violence in Kenya .

Politicians, party agents, protesters and security forces have all shown some savagery.

This is not unique.

Studies show violence plays some part in more than half the elections in sub-Sahara Africa.

For Kenya though, the hope is this important regional power will not be pushed back to the brutishness of 10 years ago which cost nearly 1 500 lives.

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Kenyan warplanes strike Al Shabab bases in Somalia

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 22:00:00 +0000

Kenya’s defence force says its planes have destroyed two Al Shabab bases in Somalia following last week’s terror attack on Garissa University that left 148 people dead.

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta’s warned of the severest possible response to the massacre for which Al Shabab claims responsibility.

It hasn’t been possible to verify Kenyan reports that its warplanes destroyed the bases in Gedo from where Al Shabab militants cross into Kenya.

The jihadis have declared war on Kenya, demanding that Nairobi’s troops are withdrawn from the African force AMISOM helping to maintain the government in Mogadishu.

Observers say the air strike was designed to show Kenyans that their government is responding to the outrage.

There were similar airstrikes after Al Shabab killed 36 quarry workers in Kenya’s Mandera region last December.

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Governor calls Kenyan security hopeless

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 22:00:00 +0000

Days after surviving the sixth of half a dozen assassination bids against him, the governor of northern Kenya’s Mandera county describes the security situation in the area under his control as hopeless.

Ali Roba questions why Kenyan soldiers are part of an African Union force propping up the Somali government – leaving their own country unprotected to a wave of cross-border attacks by al-Shabab militants.

Last Friday, Ali Roba’s convoy was attacked in Mandera leaving three dead.

It was one of a string of recent attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked militants.

Roba says the public isn’t fooled by assurances that security is being beefed up and will do what they have to do unless the national government stops the attacks.

In November, al Shabab gunmen held up a bus outside Mandera town, separated passengers according to religion and executed 28 non-Muslims.

Ten days later 36 non-Muslim quarry workers were also massacred in the area.

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Al Shabab attack Kenyan governor’s convoy

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 22:00:00 +0000

Al Shabab militants have slipped across the Somali border to attack the governor’s convoy in Mandera county in northeastern Kenya.

Two soldiers were killed but the official, Ali Roba, is unhurt.

Al Shabab’s sworn to revenge Kenya getting militarily involved in Somali government efforts to oust the jihadis.

So it’s launched several deadly cross border raids into Mandera.

Al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab says his fighters hit the convoy travelling between Mandera and Wajir, two northeastern Kenyan towns close to the porous border with Somalia.

Kenya’s military forces says the governor’s convoy was attacked but its forces were not engaged.

The governor has been campaigning strongly for security to be stepped up against attacks from across the border.

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Kenyan quarrymen killed by Al Shabab

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Al Shabab gunmen are being blamed for slaying at least 36 quarry workers near the north Kenyan town of Mandera.
The terror group attacked a bus in the same area last week, killing 28 people they identified as non Muslims.
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In the killings early this morning, the attackers descended on workers asleep in their tents.
Once again again pulled aside non Muslims for execution.
Earlier they’d killed one person in a bar.
Kenya’s Red Cross says security personnel and one of its own teams are on the ground at the site of the attack.
Al-Shabab has stepped up attacks in Kenya since 2011, when Kenya sent troops across the border to help battle the militants.

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