Gabbal Posted April 25, 2005 Police arrest fleeing Somali warlord Standard Correspondent Police yesterday arrested a Somali national whose militia are accused of sparking renewed clan fighting in Mandera District. The self-styled Col Suleiman Haji Omar fled into Kenya and surrendered after his troops were overran by rival militia in the latest wave of fighting over the control of Bur-Hache, a border town on the Somalia side. Police said preliminary reports indicated that Somalia National Front forces invaded Bur-Hache, where one of the local clans had set up a training camp. North-Eastern Provincial Commissioner Abdul Mwasera said Omar and some of his troops were being held at Elwak. Weapons was seized from them after they sought refuge. "We had beefed security along the border by the time fighting erupted at Bur-Hache a fortnight ago. Our forces were on high alert to counter any spillover," Mwasera said. Kenyan authorities wanted the training camp disbanded, saying it was a security threat. Embakasi MP David Mwenje, who chairs the parliamentary select committee on security, recently urged the Government to cross into Somalia and break the camps to end fighting in Mandera which has claimed more than 80 lives since January. The Standard Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
