Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Somalia

Kenyan military action averted with return of stolen weapons

    ABIDJAN

    In a fresh indication of the increasing regionalisation of the conflict, Somali militiamen on Friday returned vehicles, equipment and weapons stolen from a Kenyan military camp in Amuma in Kenya's north-eastern province, an army spokesman told IRIN. Kenya had threatened to launch "robust military action" inside Somalia if the stolen items were not returned by Thursday. About 400 Somali militiamen - aboard eight armoured
    trucks - had on Tuesday attacked the Amuma base, disarmed some 23 Kenyan soldiers and stolen the military supplies before returning to Somalia, news agencies said.

    Kenya's military spokesman Nicholas Simani told IRIN on Friday that army personnel at Amuma had received the stolen items and that "tensions have eased" at the border. He said Omar Haji Mohamed 'Masale' of the SNF had apologised to the Kenyan government, terming the incursion an act by "junior officers who did not know border boundaries". Following the incident, Kenya had closed its border to prevent any Somali refugees from
    entering, local media reported. A UNHCR official told IRIN on Friday that the agency was talking to the Kenyan government to "keep the border open."

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join