Kenyan police to launch disarmament exercise

Kenyan police are set to launch disarmament exercise in its northeast region in a bid to recover illegal weapons and enhance security in the restive region which borders Somalia and Ethiopia.

Regional government official urged civilians in the three counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa with unlicensed firearms to surrender the illicit weapons to police or face forceful disarmament.

The move came as the East African nation prepares for general elections in 2017. Politics normally trigger tribal clashes among the communities in the region.

Northeastern Regional Coordinator Mohamud Saleh said they believe that there is a huge number of illegal firearms in the wrong hands in the three counties, which have faced increased terror attacks from Al-Shabaab militants from Somalia.

Saleh said the government will not hesitate to use "necessary force" if needed and if "we would not be satisfied with response of the surrender amnesty."

The government has deployed security forces and commissioned disarmament exercises in the affected areas of northeast Kenya in a bid to restore peace among the warring communities.

Warring communities in northern Kenyan towns of Garissa, Mandera and Wajir which border Somalia and Ethiopia have also been feuding over natural resources and political representations for years. Endit