GARISSA, 27 November 2008 (IRIN): Thousands of people are fleeing parts of the northeastern region of Mandera and neighbouring Somali border areas after Kenya beefed up its security presence to counter possible threats from Somali armed groups.
– At least 1.500 families [9.000 people] have left Elwak [an area in Mandera] and its environs, Titus Mung’ou, Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) public relations officer, told IRIN.
– Many more have fled other areas along the border, said Mohamed Issack Dualle, an official with a local NGO, the Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance, adding that the total number of people displaced was difficult to ascertain due to the volatile situation in the area.
Heightened security
Security has been intensified along the Kenya-Somalia border since the abduction of two nuns from Elwak two weeks ago by suspected Somali armed men, who also hijacked four vehicles.
The abduction accelerated population movement, Mung’ou said. Last week, there were also claims of heavy artillery fire in Bullaahawa in Somalia, making people wary of a security operation, he said.
Hundreds of people were displaced in October after a security operation in Mandera following a request by the local members of parliament when conflict between the Garre and Murule clans took a cross-border dimension, with one clan getting support from Al-Shabab militants from Somalia.
Hundreds of people were injured in the operation, according to human rights activists.
Residents of Bullaahawa and Bulla Hache are also moving farther inland, fearing a confrontation between Kenyan troops and the militia, who are said to be holding the two nuns more than 100km inside Somalia.
The Kenyan Military has scaled up its patrol activities following the official closure of the border to aid deliveries. This is affecting the humanitarian situation in Somalia.
Since January, a large influx of asylum-seekers fleeing violence in Somalia to the refugee camps in Dadaab, in Kenya’s northeast, has been recorded.
The refugee population in Dadaab, whose three camps are holding almost three times their capacity, has risen to 224.000 from 171.000 in January.
Several international aid agencies have also restricted staff movements, putting a strain on programme implementation and the delivery of relief.
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