Kenya: Garissa residents shot after army launches crackdown

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

As for the Somali people in Kenya the Somalis are doing fine in Kenya they own businesses and are all well educated and they significant hold political seats in Kenya Somalis just need to increase their population by increasing the birth rate. They populate a whole province exclusively and inhabit an entire district eastleigh in the capital city Nairobi. The Somalis are not really oppressed in Kenya the incident in Gaarisa was one incident and the Somali legislators spoke up bravely about that. Somalis should not act as victims in Kenya they should be ambitious to get more seats in the Kenyan government ans fight for more autonomy in NFD.

[Che -Guevara]

Apo...It;s really very simple-get your forces out of Somalia or they will get the same treatment Tigray boys did.

[tutu]

Apophis;893930 wrote:

@tutu: it's as I've said before. They don't care about Somalis in Kenya; they just want to attack Kenya and use the Somaliweyne pretext as a conduit to channel that attack. Maybe many still have bad memories of "leta kipanda" while crossing Garissa bridge

I know they don't give a rat about NFD as they don't their own country. Though not plausible, but for some strange reason, I thought of reasoning with them. Maybe it's the 'Kipande' pain, and but what could we do..this is Kenya.

 

And for Haatu, I can understand his cognitive dissonance. We('Sijuis') call it the 'Qurbo effect'. As a Sijui, living with 'Najuas' for long renders you so;)

 

Haatu dhib malahan brada, adiga ayaa na xoreyndontaa.

[tutu]

Xaaji Xunjuf;893928 wrote:

Somaliland and Somalia signed an act of union after both states gained independence.

I am aware of that bit of history of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland's unity.

 

As for the Somali people in Kenya the Somalis are doing fine in Kenya they own businesses and are all well educated and they significant hold political seats in Kenya Somalis just need to increase their population by increasing the birth rate. They populate a whole province exclusively and inhabit an entire district eastleigh in the capital city Nairobi. The Somalis are not really oppressed in Kenya the incident in Gaarisa was one incident and the Somali legislators spoke up bravely about that. Somalis should not act as victims in Kenya they should be ambitious to get more seats in the Kenyan government ans fight for more autonomy in NFD

Good analysis.

[Che -Guevara]

Apophis;893951 wrote:

They have the blessing of the Jubbaland peoples and they shall stay there as long as they are needed and they're not "my" forces. I'm as Somali as you.Dhulka ma igaa higdhid sxb.

They are not there with anyone's blessings except for door-kn0bs that are with them. In any case, they can stay as long they want but they will be hunted.

[Haatu]

Tutu, we live in a country where we are clearly neglected and kept in calculated underdevelopment. If I were to go against this and say if I am to be treated as a second class citizen, I'd rather that be the case within Somalia not Kenya, but this is not the case. No sane person would want to live/unite with the Somalia of today. However, Somalia is getting its act together and shall be peaceful and prosperous once again IA.

 

I simply refuse to be treated like a second class citizen in my own hometown.

 

PS: if you think that the reer Somalia are the only ones with problems then think again. All Somalis suffer from qabiil.

[Che -Guevara]

Apophis;893957 wrote:

LOL@ "hunted", yeah good luck but J-landers are tired of people from other regions exploiting them under the banner of Islam. Let Godane pacify his lands and leave others to theirs.

To quote to someone on this thread, Godane is Somali as you.Dhulka ma higdhid sxb.

 

Apo, you are no different than those who yesterday were laughing at us for saying Ethiopia will be defeated. Some people learned the hard way. The sad thing here is 'Somali-Kenyans' who you so dearly care about will pay the price for every Kenyan soldier killed in Juba

.

[Che -Guevara]

^Avoid using the words like never!

[Che -Guevara]

Ten more arrested over KDF murder

 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

By Cyrus Ombati

 

Ten more suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing of three Kenya Defense Forces soldiers in Garissa in a police operation.

The ten have also been linked to the killing of six other police officers who have been killed in ambushes in Garissa Town in the past three months.

 

They were arrested in the on-going police hunt for terror suspects in the region. Police have been combing the town in search for suspects who have been linked to a series of attacks in Garissa and its environs.

 

Officials holding the suspects say some have confessed they are part of a larger network that had been sent from Somalia by the Al-Shabaab militants to “deal” with security agents over the military operations in their country.

 

“They are part of a larger gang of foreigners who have been behind these attacks,” said an officer aware of the case.

 

Another official said the suspects were named by an accomplice arrested on Saturday over the killing of the three soldiers on November 19.

 

Ibrahim Jelle Belle was charged in court however not required to plead to the murder charges as the prosecution pleaded for more time to conclude investigations.

 

Belle was arraigned before Principal Magistrate John Onyiego who remanded him at the Garissa police station.

 

The prosecution said they were likely to also charge him with the murder of the three police officers killed prior to the murder of the murder of the soldiers.

 

While applying for more time, the prosecution told the court that two soldiers who survived the shootings had positively identified the suspect as part of the gunmen who attacked them.

 

The suspect who is a Somali national was arrested on Saturday in Hulugho area near the Somalia-Kenya border as he tried to flee, police said.

But Belle said he was Kenyan from Ijara District and had never committed any crime against any government officer.

 

He told the Magistrate that he read politics and demanded that two chiefs and a police sergeant in Hulugho where he was arrested be available during his prosecution.

 

The case will be mentioned on December 9th at the Garissa High court.

 

Other sources said the suspect is among many Somalis who illegally obtained Kenyan documents and that a major investigation into the incident and others has been launched.

 

The killing of the soldiers prompted a police operation and sparked protests and riots in the town leaving property being destroyed.

 

A parliamentary group is investigating the incident and reaction to the same.

 

KDF has denied claims they harassed residents of Garissa and burnt property while hunting down assailants who had killed the soldiers.

[Che -Guevara]

Fire that reduced millions to ashes

Thursday, November 29, 2012

By Abdikadir Sugow

 

Smoke from Garissa's main market after it was set on fire

 

“We are destitute,” a trader at Garissa Town’s only open-air market says as his toe digs into the debris after the market was razed down recently.

The market was burnt after days of military operation to flush out criminals who had killed three soldiers as they were changing a flat tyre on November 19.

 

This operation sparked off riots by locals, who said the community was being unfairly accused of harbouring criminals associated with the Somalia Al Shabaab militia.

 

When the operation ended, two people were dead and several others injured. The market that was gushing with activity was smouldering.

 

The market, Suuq-Muqdi or ‘the unlighted market’, was a source of livelihood for many.

 

Haretho Abdi Bare, who is nursing bullet wounds at the Garissa General Hospital after she was shot on her left thigh, had a large silo of fresh farm produce.

 

Usually she directly bought the produce from local farmers and sold wholesale to other traders.

It went up in flames alongside other businesses at the market.

 

Start from zero

 

When her physical pain is over and she is discharged from hospital, Haretho will have to start from zero to rebuild her business.

 

Haretho’s son, Salah Yakub Farah, says his mother lost business worth Sh2.5 million, which included the structure holding her merchandise.

 

She is not the only one counting losses.

 

Staff at the mill say they pleaded with the arsonists, whom they claim were military officers, to spare their business in vain.

 

“They burnt all our products. We will sue the Government for compensation,” says Ali Noor Issack, whose fast food kiosk was was reduced to ashes.

 

Ali, who was operating a fast food kiosk, says he lost capital base of Sh315,000.

 

Ali says he did not salvage anything, as the fire was too fierce to get closer.

 

It is not exactly clear who burnt the market. Some eyewitnesses accuse the military claiming they lobbed fire canisters into the market, which caused the fire at midday while others claim a certain politician set the place ablaze long after the operation was over.

 

Yet, there are also claims of business rivals having lit the market and used the ongoing operation as a cover up.

However, the military has denied being behind the arson.

 

Spokesman Col Cyrus Oguna termed the accusation as malicious and lies crafted to taint the credibility of the force.

 

“Allegations suggesting KDF committed atrocities in Garissa are false and must cease,”said Col Oguna.

Whoever caused the fire at the market pierced locals’ hearts as the market was the centre of business in the town.

People bought their foodstuff there and it was a source of employment for many others.

Some traders don’t bank their money. Instead, they keep it at the market.

 

Burnt in safe

 

One trader acted as a ‘banker’ who held money in custody for other traders. Market chairman, Paul Chege says Sh150,000 was burnt in her ‘safe’.

 

Several have reported reported that their national IDs were burnt in the fire, which raged for two days.

It destroyed the market structure which is estimated to be worth more than Sh200 million.

 

According to Chege, some 1,800 traders were adversely affected. Most of them ran fresh farm produce, groceries, cereals, clothes, electronics and restaurant businesses.

 

Chege, who has done business at the market for 15 years, says there is no sign that the Government is willing to help these traders rebuild their lives despite PM Raila Odinga visiting the affected last Friday and asking ministry for Special Programmes to compensate the traders.

 

The following day, the minister for Special Programmes Esther Murugi said the Government has no policy to compensate victims of riots and clashes.

 

Garissa mayor, Ismail Mohamed Garat Korio whose elective ward includes the burnt market, said the locals are still waiting for justice.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Also agree with Che Somalis can never be Kenyans i mean real Kenyans they will always be associated with Somalia. But that doesn't mean they cant be Kenyans temporarily. Its all about improving the daily lives of the Somali people in Kenya. This identity issue is not a real big problem Somalis fit in the Kenyan society when i see Haatu and apophis and stoic they have no real issue with the Kenyan nationality or what ever little formality that comes with it.

[OdaySomali]

BBC reports there is an explosion in Islii.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20617516

[Haatu]

Oh good. We can observe tutu going going through the motions of his Kenyan-ness all over again.

[OdaySomali]

3 dead, 15 wounded in Nairobi blast

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121207/af-kenya-blast/?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=green

 

^^ If anything it seems that Somalis are the targets of these attacks and hence why they always occur in Eastleigh. Either that, or its the Kenyan government carrying out false-flag operations as a pretext for both its military incursion into and somalia, and as a pretext for being more heavy-handed on the Somalis and the Eastleigh area.

[Che -Guevara]

How many of these attacks are actually carried out by Somalis. This is suspect.