Tana river: The coast regional security committee has launched a massive security operation to mop up 123 illegally held firearms in 11 locations within Bangale and Tana North sub-counties, Tana River County.
According to Kenya News Agency, the coast regional commissioner Paul Rotich stated that the government “can no longer sit back and watch as communities continue to butcher each other.”
Addressing chiefs and their assistants alongside peace committee elders in Madodgo on Thursday, Rotich announced that the operation would be called off if the firearms are surrendered. This operation follows the expiration of a 60-day amnesty issued in February by the government for the surrender of illegally held firearms, and a deadly intercommunity clash in Bangale last month that resulted in six fatalities.
During the clashes, Bangale OCS collapsed and died from cardiac arrest while pursuing the gunmen responsible for the killings. “We gave you enough time in February this year to surrender the firearms. We further warned of a forceful disarmament but you downplayed it. I have come today to announce the commencement of the operation,” Rotich declared.
Rotich detailed the allocation of firearms for each location: Bangale with 37 firearms, Chewelle 22, Areri 13, and Duka Notu 10, among others. “We have the names of individuals holding these guns, their mobile numbers, and where they stay. We also know the make of the firearms and their conditions. So don’t try to fool us by presenting old and unserviceable firearms,” he added.
The commissioner urged chiefs and their assistants to ensure the surrender of firearms, warning they would be held accountable if they failed. “We are aware that the chiefs and their assistants know these individuals and they should ask them to surrender the arms. If they refuse, then we shall use force to get these arms,” Rotich stated.
Rotich emphasized the government’s determination to recover all illegally held firearms, declaring, “We have had enough of this cat and mouse game. This time round all these arms must be surrendered by whichever means.” He also warned individuals attempting to hinder the operation that they would “face the full force of the law irrespective of their status in the society.”
He highlighted the significant resources spent on security at the expense of development, saying, “Without peace, development will be elusive. The rest of the country is competing for a share of development resources while yours are being used to maintain security. This is shameful.”
Local elders and leaders expressed support for the disarmament, urging security agencies to be more proactive. Hussein Roba from Bangale location remarked, “The government cannot afford to sit back and allow the buildup of this number of arms and killings in order to carry out disarmament exercise.”
“The disarmament will be painful. We have been through it and I want to urge all those with the firearms to surrender them before the operation gains momentum,” Roba added. Present at the meeting were security committees from the coast regional, Tana River county, Tana North, and Bangale sub-counties.
