Tana River county residents have been urged to shun divisive tribal politics and instead adopt peace fostering measures to cultivate coexistence and security in the region.
The call was made during a friendly football tournament organized in Bura town, bringing together local youths and elders in a bid to sensitize them on the importance of peaceful coexistence among all communities living in the county.
This comes days after the government announced a security operation to forcefully recover all illegal firearms in Bangale sub county, following deadly intercommunity clashes which left at least six people dead.
According to security sources in Bangale, at least 30 illegal firearms had been surrendered by yesterday, July 12.
Speaking to the press after the match, local politicians and leaders called on the security agencies to move with speed and arrest the criminals perpetrating violence in the area.
Led by Mohamed Ali, residents further urged politicians to refrain from making utterances that could fuel more violence and instead allow the security agencies in the area to do their job.
“The government knows all the criminals. Our intelligence service is topnotch and they know who has illegal firearms and those who don’t, those who are inciting others to violence and those who are for peace,” Ali said.
“We want the politicians and the judiciary to support the security agencies to do their work, to arrest the criminals and restore peace in Tana River,” he added.
On his part, Guracha Abdallah, a resident and founder of Guracha foundation in Bura constituency urged residents to avoid political leaders who incited members of the community against one another on ethnicity, tribe or religious lines.
He called for the arrest and prosecution of politicians and elders suspected to be stirring the community clashes, noting that nobody was above the law..
“Any politician who is fueling tribalism, or community division should be arrested and charged in accordance with the law. There is nobody who is above the law,” Abdallah said.
By Erick Kyalo
