Kenya's security brutalizes refugee camp
1. Posted on Friday 6 January 2012 - 07:43
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http://www.africanews.com/site/list_message/36799#m36799>
Adow Mohamed, AfricaNews reporter in Nairobi, Kenya
Following Kenya's incursion in November in October last year, the operations
of the Kenya military and the police in Northern Kenya and Somalia remained
a top secret. Kenya media reports were awash with news about Kenya military
"pursuing the enemy". Little were told about its other dark side. But
reports emerge about the pains the locals endured for "hiding al-Shabaab"-
the horn of Africa terror group.
Pictures obtained by AfricaNews illustrate untold brutality the Kenya Armed
Forces meted on refugees at the Ifo camp in Dadaab in Northern Eastern
Kenya. Many suffered fractures on the limbs and deep cuts on their heads.
On December 21, armed regular and administration police landed on the sleepy
camp and conducted a swoop and in the process allegedly raped women, looted
properties worth millions. The incident follows after a bomb explosion in
the camp prompting the security conducting an operation to net the culprits,
but in the process even women and the elderly found themselves at the
receiving end.
A local human right body based in Garissa County, Northern Eastern Kenya,
Citizen Rights Watch (CRW) has slammed the brutal and the cruel manner in
which refugees were treated by the Kenya security.
The Executive Director, Abdiweli Mohamed said the injured were denied
medical access and P3 forms- legal document which is produced in court as
evidence in cases which involve bodily harm.
"Instead of looking for the real culprits, they descended on innocent people
beat them senseless and denied medical treatment," said Abdiweli. The
victims include doctors who were attending to the injured.
"The police cannot beat anyone on the pretext of maintaining security," he
posed. "The must move decisively to apprehend the people behind the attacks
instead of targeting innocent civilians," he said.
"If Kenya respect human right let them bring the perpetrators to book," he
added.
The Provincial Police Officer (PPO), North Eastern Province Leo Nyongesa and
the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesperson Emmanuel Chirchir denied the
reports.
Abdiweli said if the government fails to take action, they will constitute
legal action against the state.
On his part, the Kenya parliament deputy speaker Farah Maalim, while
speaking to the BBC Somali Service lashed at the police for being
insensitive to the already suffering refugees.
"One will hope to seek solace when coming to refugee camp but what would you
expect when your saviours turn to be your tormentors," he said.
He called upon the police commissioner Mathew Iteere to take a stern action
against the perpetrators.
Police in Kenya
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Received on Fri Jan 06 2012 - 07:03:26 EST
