NAIROBI (Halbeeg News) – Kenya Defense minister, Adan Barre Duale has held leaders from northeastern region near Kenya’s border with Somalia.
In a statement, Kenya Defence ministry said Duale and leaders from Wajir and Mandera Counties discuss the security status in the region.
The meeting held at the Defence Headquarters, Nairobi, was attended by five Members of Parliament from the two counties to discuss a joint approach in fighting terrorism to ensure the locals live in peace.
The CS maintained that security is a collective responsibility that demands concerted efforts from security agencies, local leaders, and the community.
He underscored that the safety of the region is as important as that of any other part of the country, adding that Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) continue to pose a serious threat to security
Duale affirmed that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) shall continue discharging their primary mandate of defending and protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic and called upon the leaders to contribute to security approaches by sharing intelligence.
He noted that many youths from the region have been recruited into criminal gangs and terror groups out of frustration and lack of job opportunities but added that the plan to reopen borders shall increase economic activities.
“There’s an ongoing conversation to re-open the borders at Mandera to enable cross-border trade with neighbouring countries. This shall keep the locals, especially the youths busy and unavailable to join terror groups thus, we need your indulgence to ensure that even when the borders reopen, we scale up the security in the area,” said the CS.
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