by STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Thursday August 10, 2023
Dadaab sub county peace chairman Osman Ibrahim Abdi speaking to the press.
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Residents of Dadaab subcounty have been urged to help maintain peace and security in the area.
Dadaab assistant county commissioner Vitalis Ogur said on Wednesday every individual has a role to play in ensuring peace and security is not only realised but also maintained.
He was speaking during a security meeting that brought together peace committee elders from Dadaab, Dagahaley and Ifo.
The town that is the site of a UNHCR base hosting refugees and asylum seekers has in the past witnessed a series of attacks targeting both security personnel and civilians.
In March, five police officers from the Border Patrol Unit were killed in two separate incidents in Hagarbur along the Garissa-Dadaab road when an improvised explosive device blew up their vehicles.
The officers were headed to Garissa from Dadaab only to be hit by the explosives that had been planted on the roadside.
Since then, no attack has been reported, with security personnel and residents pledging to work closely to weed out the militants and their sympathisers.
Ogur, who was accompanied by the subcounty security committee members, said insecurity can only be addressed through collaboration between wananchi and the security apparatus.
“We are all in agreement that matters security can only be addressed if and when we speak in one voice. When we fully cooperate and share actionable intelligence to the security apparatus. That should be the way to go and I'm glad we are cooperating on that front,” he said.
He warned criminal elements still hiding in the town and the camps, saying the government will not hesitate to take stern action against such individuals.
“A big percentage of the residents are good people. The same can be said of the refugees. However, there will always be some characters who want to cause trouble. Those are the people that we must all smoke out from our midst,” he said.
Dadaab subcounty peace chairman Osman Ibrahim Abdi thanked the security team for remaining proactive and quickly acting on security information they receive.
"I want to sincerely thank our security personnel for doing a fantastic job in ensuring that peace and security is maintained. Many a time their good work is not recognised,” he said.
Osman raised concerns over the series of meetings being held by politicians from different factions from the Federal State of Somalia and Jubaland describing them as a threat to the local security.
“Our message is very clear, anyone seeking any seat be it in Somalia, Ethiopia or Jubaland to go and campaign there. We don’t want to see them bringing animosity between our communities and raising unnecessary tension with their meetings that they keep holding in those big hotels. That we will not allow,” he said.
According to Osman, the trend is likely to cause clan animosity between warring factions and the spillover likely to be experienced on Kenyan soil.
He said even though they have a lot in common, they were against being drawn into their internal issues.
Garissa plays a central role in the politics of the larger Ogaden community, a reason politicians from the government of Somalia and Jubaland always go there and Nairobi to hold meetings with their clansmen.
Political realignments and behind-the-scenes agreements have been going on in Jubaland for months now.
President Ahmed Madoobe has time and again expressed his confidence of retaining his seat amid a growing criticism by his opponents.
The Jubaland election is important for Kenyans because it is seen as a good test to gauge the impact of the Kenya Defence Forces presence in the state they greatly helped in its formation after jointly capturing the capital city, Kismayo, in 2012 with the help of Madoobe's forces.