Livestock marketing council chair Dubat Ali Amey now wants the North Eastern regional commissioner John Otieno to call for an urgent leader meeting to chart ways to end terrorism in the area.
Amey said the Monday’s terror attack in Mandera, that left three people dead and thirteen others injured is an indication that terrorism could be slowly finding its way back into the region that has had relative peace in the past few years.
Two of the deceased were police officers attached to Mandera traffic department, while the third victim was the owner of a food kiosk.
Amey said that its time for the elected leaders from the region to come together and rally the residents on the need for them to work with security agencies in pointing out ‘bad elements in their midst’ involving themselves in terror activities.
The chairman who condoled the families of the deceased said that terrorism is slowly returning back and ‘the leaders must take the lead in working with the government security agencies together with their people in the fight against terror’.
“I want to urge our people from the region to stand up against terrorism. We must be counted among Kenyans fighting evil by supporting our government in matters security failure to which we shall remain behind in all sectors especially bettering the lives of our people,” Amey said.
“The government alone cannot fight terrorism. We have abdicated our responsibilities and it is time we wake up to the reality that we can easily lose the entire fight to the dogs,” he added.
Amey said the government has done its part by deploying adequate security officers including the military to fight terror but without the support of the citizens, ‘these efforts are fruitless’.
“The security agencies require actionable intelligence from the citizens because terrorists mingle among the population. We have to rid ourselves of these terror operatives if we have to make our region safe,” he said.
Meanwhile civilians wounded in the incident were Wednesday airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment.
The decision to airlift the injured came after a public outcry in Mandera town, with residents demanding equitable support for all victims following allegations of discrimination.
The outcry stemmed from the airlifting of three injured police officers while leaving behind civilians with similar injuries at the Mandera referral hospital.
By Jacob Songok
