---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: IRIN <[email protected]> Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:38:37 -0000 Subject: Security operation disrupts livelihoods in Kenya's Lamu To: Elisabeth Janaina <[email protected]>
Security operation disrupts livelihoods in Kenya's Lamu LAMU, 11 February 2013 (IRIN) - As Kenyan security forces work to ward-off Al-Shabab insurgents, the military operation and the continuing insecurity in Kiunga, a remote border town in the coastal district of Lamu East, are disrupting local livelihoods, residents say. Major economic activity, including tourism, has been restrained following attacks by Al-Shabab militants from nearby Somalia. Efforts by Kenyan security forces to stamp out Al-Shabab activity have, in turn, adversely impacted the local fishing industry. Artisanal fishing and tourism together provide a source of income to 90 percent of Lamu's population of about 100,000 people, according to the Ministry of Planning. Fishing suffers Kiunga is a remote region some 15km from Ras Kamboni in Somalia. Al-Shabab also occasionally sneaks into the villages of Ishakani, Mangai, Mararani, Basuba, Milimani and Mkokoni Island in search of new recruits and food. In October 2011, after Al-Shabab launched a series of grenade attacks and kidnappings targeted at tourists, Kenyan military forces launched Operation 'Linda Nchi' - Swahili for "protect the nation" - to stop the militants from entering the country. Before the operation , a group of fishermen split into 20 boats could catch up to three tons of fish a night. "Each crew produced more than three tons in one night of fishing... Traders lined up for our fish, and the fishing industry employed many people," said Abdi Abdala, one of the affected fishermen. This is no longer the case. The military, fishermen say, has imposed a curfew that prevents locals from fishing at night. "We wonder, why is the government restricting us not to go fishing at night, yet in Somalia fishermen are not restricted?" Yusuf Kitete, a local politician, told IRIN. "Traders coming to buy fish wait for up to a fortnight to get 800kgs or less, and some return without any fish," he added. Tourism and other industries Fear has also kept tourists away. Before the military operation commenced, increased attacks by Al-Shabab forced major tourist resorts in the area to close. The locals they used to employ were left without jobs. "Munira Camp [resort] has re-opened, but it does not get foreign visitors and only a few Kenyans visit the camp. The owners of Kiwayu Safari Village [another resort] came here briefly to assess the security, but they left hoping to return after the general elections," Mohamed Saburi, a fisherman from Mkokoni Village, told IRIN. Also affected by the operation and Al-Shabab insurgency are members of the Awer, or Boni, ethnic group, who rely largely on selling forest products and honey for their livelihood. They can no longer go into the forests without risking abduction by militants or being labelled Al-Shabab sympathizers by the military. Al-Shabab has been accused of forcibly recruiting youths as fighters. "We are hunter-gatherers and our livelihood depended on the forests that are now military fields. We cannot venture into the forests anymore for fear of the militias or [fear of] being branded as members of Al-Shabab if found there by the [Kenyan military]," said Ibrahim Mardi, from Mangai Village. Isolation While the attacks by Al-Shabab have subsided following military intervention in Somalia, residents told IRIN they still live in fear and under restriction. "People cannot go about their normal business because of fear and government restrictions. We are living in isolation from the rest of Kenyans, as we cannot freely receive visitors or visit other people due to fear of being linked to Al-Shabab. We are at the mercy of the security forces," Mohamed Alale said. ds/ko/rz [END] This report online: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportID=97451 © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org/ [This item comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. Reposting or reproduction, with attribution, for non-commercial purposes is permitted. Terms and conditions: http://www.irinnews.org/copyright IRIN partners: UAE, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the IHC. More information: http://www.irinnews.org/donors This mail is from an automatic address. Contact IRIN at: [email protected]. Revise/stop your subscription: http://bit.ly/9nCoUP ] Subscribed email: [email protected] -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
