Kenya begins construction of security wall along Somali border
MANDERA, Kenya, April 14 (Xinhua) — The Kenyan government has begun constructing a security wall along its border with Somalia to help curb cross border incursions by Somali militant Al-Shabaab.
Director of Immigration Services Gordon Kihalangwa, who officially broke the ground in Mandera late Monday, urged the locals to support the project which he said would help prevent Al- Shabaab militants from crossing into Kenya.
Kihalangwa said the wall will run from Mandera in the north to Kiunga in the east coast, covering Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Lamu counties.
He said the purpose of the wall is to demarcate the Kenya- Somalia border besides securing the country from Al-Shabaab militants, adding that the government is doing everything possible to sensitize members of the public on the importance of the wall.
“The project is fully funded by the government with relevant government departments chipping in; the ministry of transport, the National Youth Service and Kenya Defence Forces have given in their support to this noble task,” he said. “We will ensure that our borders are secure by preventing illegal immigrants and proliferation of small arms into the country.”
Kihalangwa said the wall will not bar cross border movements, adding that there will be designated points for exit and entry into the country. He revealed that machinery, equipment and materials for the construction are already on the ground.
Kenyan officials say the security wall will provide a long-term security efforts to secure the border, adding that once the construction is completed, it will only be crossed by entering through the appropriate border points.
The Islamist group has carried series of deadly attacks in northeast Kenya and other cities, including the capital city of Nairobi, since the East African country sent its military into Somalia in 2011 to fight the Al-Qaida inspired group.
Kenyan authorities have also blamed the militants for being behind spates of kidnapping of expatriates working in the sprawling refugee camps in the incursion-prone northern region and tourists in the coastal archipelago towns of Mombasa and Lamu.
Officials link these attacks to the fact that Mandera and Bula Hawa, an adjoining town in Somalia, are barely two kilometres apart, thus making it easy for terrorists to cross the border and attack. Somalis living at Bula-hawa town had also violated the no- man’s land and encroached into Kenya. The wall will thus help rectify the situation.
Source: http://www.globalpost.com
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