Wednesday, November 09, 2011
The refugees said they fully supported the ongoing military operation against Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia.
The Kenya Defence Forces are currently in hot pursuit of the Somali terrorist group deep inside Somalia after a string of kidnappings of military personnel, foreigners and aid workers within the Kenyan territory.
The refugees said the militants were behind their misery and stay at the camps hence need for the Kenyan military to crush them.
The demonstration was organised in the wake of a massive security operation launched by Kenyan law enforcement agencies to root out criminal gangs from the camp as well as seize weapons in illegal hands.
The refugees claimed there has been increased insecurity in the past months in the camp citing a number of incidents that have happened there including the one in which aid workers were abducted.
Police allowed them to stage the demo amid claims that a number of aid agencies were withdrawing services from the camp over the insecurity situation.
Witnesses told The Standard the refugees called on Kenya to take firm action on the Somali militants to contain the situation.
"They are many and they support the operation on Al-Shabaab. They want the operation to continue," said a police officer.
Security agencies had in the past month carried out operations in the camps and recovered several weapons and bullets.
A week ago two people, a refugee and an alien were arrested with four rifles, 16 magazines and 477 bullets in a sting operation at the Hagadera refugee camp, in Fafi, North Eastern Kenya.
The suspects had buried the four AK47 rifles in a hole near the refugee camp and were trying to sell them to a group of Administration Police officers when they were busted.
The recovery was the second in weeks. Earlier on, another team of police officers recovered five similar weapons from a refugee who had arrived at Dadaab refugee camp.
It is in the same area that two Spanish aid workers were kidnapped by Al-Shabaab militants in an attack that left a driver seriously wounded.
The refugees said the incidents among others indicate there are several sympathisers of the militant group in the area hence need for their arrest.
More anti-terror, GSU, regular and military personnel have been sent to major towns in the province that seems to be under siege of the criminals, some who could be Kenyans.