MANDERA ( Halbeeg News) – Traditional elders have been dispatched to Somalia to hold talks with al-Shabaab to free Cuban doctors.
Unidentified gunmen on Friday kidnapped the doctors in Mandera and killed one of their escorts.
In a statement, Mandera County government said it is committed to secure the freedom of Landy Rodriguez (a surgeon) and Herera Correa (general practitioner).
According to the reports, ten elders drawn from tribes in Mandera County have left for Somalia to start preliminary talks with al-Shabaab.
Mandera Governor Ali Roba condemned the attack and appealed to the elders to initiate talks with their counterparts in Bulahawa and ensure that the two return to Kenya safely.
“We appeal to the security agencies to do whatever it takes to save the lives of our Cuban doctors and bring them back from captivity. I send my condolences to the family of the departed officer,” the governor said.
Al-Shabaab had been carrying out a deadly raid and bomb explosions in Kenya since 2011 when the East African nation deployed its military in Somalia to the group.
Mandera which is on Kenya’s border with Somalia had witnesses attacks previously conducted al-Shabaab militants.
The group majorly targeted non-locals in Mandera county, leading the county to lose labour from other counties including doctors, teachers and quarry workers.
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