State offers amnesty to Kenyans in terror group

The Government on Saturday extended amnesty to Kenyans who have joined Al-Shabaab, the militant Somali Islamist group.

Top security officials led by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Julius Karangi asked the recruits to denounce the group and even seek the government’s help.

Internal Security Permanent Secretary Francis Kimemia said the government was profiling Kenyans who may have been recruited into the militia.

He added that the government would offer amnesty to local Al-Shabaab members if they came forward.

“Our internal security has borne the adverse effects of the Al-Shabaab menace, and the government has no plan to negotiate with the militant group.

“We urge them (local Al-Shabaab) to surrender. We want to get to them, and if they are willing to come home, we will assist them,” Mr Kimemia said.

He made the plea as Gen Karangi said Kenyan troops, which entered Somalia 14 days ago, will remain in the war-torn country until there is an indication of a “highly degraded capacity” of Al-Shabaab.

The CDF said that the ongoing operation in Somalia was not time-bound and would continue until the Government and Kenyans felt sufficiently safe.

However this raises the question whether the military’s Operation Linda Nchi (Protect the Country) risks becoming bogged down in parts of Somalia.

“This operation will only stop when we feel we are safe enough as a country. This campaign is not time-bound, and we will leave it to the Kenyan people to decide when it should stop.

“When we feel safe enough we will come back to the common border where we belong,” Gen Karangi said.

The two were speaking at the Department of Defence headquarters in Nairobi where the CDF led a government delegation in its first major international press briefing on the military operation.

They were joined by Defence Minister Yusuf Haji, Communications PS Bitange Ndemo, State House Comptroller Nelson Githinji and Foreign Affairs Diplomatic and Political Affairs Secretary Patrick Wamoto.

Service Commanders Lt-Gen J. Kasaon (Kenya Army), Maj-Gen Joff Otieno (Kenya Air Force) and Maj-Gen Ngewa Mukala (Kenya Navy) as well as Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere were present.

Al-Shabaab has been accused of launching terror attacks and kidnappings on Kenya soil, as well as laying mines.

The terrorist group is also believed to be responsible for increased piracy in the Indian Ocean, sabotaging Kenya’s economic activities such as tourism.

The group has been daring enough to kidnap Kenyan soldiers, with two still missing since they were snatched across the border in July.

The group has moved from targeting people of Somali origin for membership, making the group more amorphous. Several Kenyans have been used by the group to stage terror attacks in and out of the country.

In May, an investigative report by NTV unearthed how easy it was to join the militant group. In 2009, the US embassy in Nairobi told Washington of the recruitment process that was ongoing in Kenya and Isiolo in particular.

Elgiva Bwire Oliacha, alias Mohamed Saif, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for masterminding two grenade attacks in Nairobi last week.

Gen Karangi said the trend in attacks was worrying, adding that it was one of the reasons why the military operation in Somalia has to go on.

He lamented that the militia was training Kenyan youth deep in Somalia and that the “radicalised youths are sent back as terrorists in their own country”.

Gen Karangi restated that the military was not interested in annexing part of Somalia and was not at war with the Horn of Africa country. He added that Kenya’s offensive was against Al-Shabaab, a group he described as a “non- state actor”.

“We are pursuing legitimate Al-Shabaab targets across the border,” he said, adding that the criminals have been sabotaging Kenya’s economy and threatening peace.

Not pre-planned

The Chief of Defence Forces discounted reports that the operation had been a long time in the planning. He said the decision to enter Somalia was arrived at over 10 days.

He said the government mandated the military to defend Kenya against Al-Shabaab on October 4. The general explained that Kenyan troops entered Somalia 10 days later.

“The operation was not pre-planned. It happened at the spur of the moment. There was no plan to enter Somalia or to annex it. No self-respecting country would do so,” said Gen Karangi.

He said the army had suffered one fatality and not more than five wounded. The army boss said the militia was not a “conventional army” and so he could not give a specific assessment of their losses.

Mr Haji said Somali residents were happy in towns liberated by Kenyan forces and appealed to the international community to help rebuild the country.

The Defence minister said that a Somali delegation led by Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali would be in Kenya from today to discuss the operation.

Mr Haji said the operation has the support of the African Union and Igad and that the Somali government is fully involved in the operation.

Mr Iteere said that homeland security had been stepped up.