MANDERA, Kenya, Jan 8- Northern Kenya leaders have decried the deteriorating security situation posed by the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab militants, whom they say are freely executing their mandate.
This is despite increased security presence from both the police and military.
This comes after days of terror activities that saw an assistant chief, said to have been vocal against the terror group, was abducted and later beheaded.
In a statement on Friday, Mandera Governor painted a grim picture of the reality on the ground, saying the Somalia based terror group is now allegedly controlling 60 percent of the border County.
Other than killing and destroying potential economic empowering projects, the Governor said the militants are now forcefully collecting taxes from pastoralists.
“The terrorists are collecting livestock by force from helpless pastoralists in the name of Zakkat (offering). This requires radical approach to manage the trend otherwise we will soon be under terror rule,” the Governor said.
He has called for a radical review in the security of the County and the larger region, which still lags behind in development due to largely security challenges.
“The Al-Shabab are getting bolder and more aggressive by the day. What is it that we are not doing right as a country that our neighbours like Ethiopia are implementing to have their borders free of Al Shabab?” he posed.
He said, “The terrorists boldly video record their actions and the purpose of the footage remains unclear what the intention is.”
Recently, Al Shabaab attacked an ambulance ferrying an expectant mother to hospital, killed her husband and injured the driver and a nurse as the mother escaped to a near by bush.
They later torched the ambulance owned by the Mandera County Government.
He said the situation has been dire for the last 3 months.
With the school re-opening, he said institutions of learning remain deserted and where operational, the manpower is not sufficient.
Most of the non-local teachers have since been moved from the volatile region following discriminatory attacks that claimed several lives.
“We are faced with an existential threat and the fabric of our society that is taking a situation of hopelessness taking shape within our population because the situations going from bad to worst,” the Governor said.
Other leaders from the region they have raised alarm over a situation they say is gradually slipping out of control.
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