by STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Tuesday August 1, 2023
The general king of the Awliyahan community in the three East African countries- Ugaas Abdiwahab Ugaas Hussein speaking at a Garissa hotel.
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
There is a need for communities from Northeastern Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia to work closely with their respective governments to deal with the al Shabaab menace, Awliyahan community leader Ugaas Abdiwahab Ugaas Hussein has urged.
Awliyahan is one of the dominant clans founds in Garissa County. Others are the Abduwak and the Samawadhal.
Ugaas Hussein, a former Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Somalia is the leader of the community that is found in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Speaking in Garissa on Sunday, Ugaas Hussein emphasized the role played by communities in volunteering information about suspected criminals in their midst.
He said local community involvement was key in ensuring that peace and security is attained.
The northeastern region has been faced with a myriad of security challenges for a decade now. Insurgent groups from neighbouring countries launch attacks before escaping back to their countries.
The attacks that have led to the death of several people among them security officers are believed to have been carried out with the aid of locals.
Ugaas Hussein said that gone are those days when matters of security were left to the security apparatus alone saying that it is an issue that affects everyone.
“We are one big community that is spread across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. I can assure you if we closely worked together and shared intelligence with our respective security personnel in real-time, then some of these attacks that we witness would not be occurring. They would be dealt with before they happen,” he said.
Garissa county peace chairman Osman Ibrahim Abdi who spoke on behalf of the elders echoed Ugaas sentiments.He said that insecurity in the county and the region at large can only be addressed through collaboration between wananchi and the security apparatus.
“We are one big community that spreads across the 3 countries. These threats posed by members of this rag-tag group can and will be easily eliminated if we in one voice decide to tackle it head-on without fear. It has worked before, it can still work,” he said.
Dadaab MCA Mohamed Abdi Farah said Security can well be managed if communities from troubled areas work closely with security apparatus.
‘As communities are not only neighbours but also brothers and sisters, ours is to make sure that we work round the clock to maintain our security by remaining alert and sharing actionable intelligence with the security apparatus."
He added:
“This is the only way that we will defeat the enemy who is hell-bent on ensuring that he continues causing havoc in our territory."
Farah whose Dadaab constituency has not been spared in the past by the attacks and which hosts the biggest refugee camp further urged residents to jealously guard the hard-earned security.
“Overall our communities have suffered because of these attacks which have not affected our businesses across the three countries but all aspects of life. Al Shabaab is not only a Kenya problem but one that cuts across the three regions. For this reason, we must all stand up and say no to this group,” he said.
He regretted that although the militants claim to be advancing Islamic ideologies.
They had come to the realization that they were hurting their trade and relationship with other communities.