Kenya arrests governor over attacks that killed 65
Wed Jun 25, 2014 7:32pm GMT
(Updates with arrest of regional governor. Changes dateline)
By Joseph Akwiri
MOMBASA, Kenya, June 25 (Reuters) - Kenyan police on Wednesday arrested an
opposition politician who is a county governor in connection with gun
attacks in his area that killed about 65 people, the government and police
said.
"Lamu (County) Governor Issa Timamy arrested over recent violence and deaths
in the Mpeketoni area to appear in court tomorrow, Thursday," the
presidential State House said on Twitter.
"It's true. We have him with us," Mombasa County police chief Robert Kitur
told Reuters.
Lamu County is north of Mombasa County, home to the country's main port.
Timamy is a member of a party which is part of the opposition CORD
coalition, a group led by Raila Odinga, who has demanded a dialogue with the
government by July 7, when he has promised to hold nationwide rallies.
Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group claimed responsibility for the attacks
this month around Mpeketoni in Lamu County, but President Uhuru Kenyatta has
dismissed that and accused local political networks and local politicians of
being behind them.
Ethnic violence has erupted in the past, notably after a contested 2007
election when about 1,200 people were killed in tribal clashes. Lamu is an
area where ethnic-fuelled disputes over land and other issues have festered
for decades.
Odinga, a former prime minister who was Kenyatta's main challenger in last
year's presidential vote, has said talks are needed to discuss security
failings and other problems.
The government has dismissed the demand, saying Odinga is trying to
manufacture a crisis to claw his way back to office.
POLICE ARREST 13 SEPARATISTS
Police also arrested 13 members of the outlawed separatist movement, the
Mombasa Republican Council, on Wednesday and accused them of planning
ethnically-motivated attacks similar to the Mpeketoni killings.
The Council denies any role in the Mpeketoni attacks and there was no
immediate comment from the group after the detentions.
"The 13 arrested by police are suspected to be planning to attack four areas
- Witu, Kipini, Marereni and Garsen - all in the coastal region," the
ministry said, saying they had planned an "ethnic cleansing attack similar
to Mpeketoni".
Officials said security forces killed five of the suspected Mpeketoni
attackers last week. Police said they had not established their identities
and no one had collected the bodies.
Many Kenyans accuse the government of doing too little to prevent violence.
Rights groups say the police often use heavy-handed tactics, such as mass
roundups of Somalis or Kenyans with Somali links, only to free most of them,
an approach they say breeds more resentment. (Additional reporting by
Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Andrew
Roche)