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Five quarry workers killed in Mandera by suspected Al-Shabaab militants
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif after a meeting with security agencies and non-local representatives, following a terror attack.
At least five quarry workers were killed by suspected Al-Shabaab militants in Mandera. Two others were injured in the early Tuesday morning attack.
According to security agencies in the county, a group of 21 miners was heading to Bur Abor quarry when the suspected militants ambushed them.
“We had a vehicle carrying about 21 miners going to a quarry on the outskirts of Mandera town. This group was stopped by armed men who later shot at the vehicle, killing at least five people and injuring two others,” Mandera County Police Commander Robinson Ndiwa told Daily Nation on phone.
Mr Ndiwa said his team had arrested the driver of the ill-fated van and the quarry owner where the 21 worked.
“We are holding the driver and the quarry owner. We needed to know why this particular vehicle left for the quarry without the security escort and earlier than expected,” he said.
The van with 21 on board is said to have left Mandera town as early as 6 am, only to be attacked about an hour later.
“All vehicles transporting miners to quarries leave the town at 7 am accompanied by our security officers. We have had this plan since 2015, and it remains unclear why this particular vehicle chose to break the routine,” Mr Ndiwa said.
Tight security
Before December 2014, quarry workers operated during the day and night, but Al-Shabaab militants struck one night, killing at least 36 miners at a quarry within the Koromey area.
The attack on December 20, 2014, forced the security team in Mandera to put in place measures to secure the miners.
The government quickly banned night quarrying activities in Mandera and further directed that all miners spend the nights in areas with an assured security presence.
Quarry owners were directed to transport the workers to the quarries every morning and return them to their areas of residence in the evening.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif.
Along the way to the quarries, the miners are accompanied by armed security officers and watched over in the quarries by at least two National Police Reservists (NPRs).
“We have a very elaborate security plan for all quarry workers across Mandera. We just want to know why the vehicle left for the quarry, leaving behind the security officers,” Mr Ndiwa insisted.
“I strongly condemn the senseless and brutal attack on quarry workers in Bur Abor, Mandera East Constituency, which claimed the lives of five innocent people and left others injured,” Mandera East MP Hussein Weytan said.
Also Read: Why Kenya military must crush Al-Shabaab
Mr Weytan described the incident as a painful reminder of the urgent need to strengthen security in Mandera.
“I call on the County Security team, led by County Commissioner Henry Ochako, to launch thorough investigations and ensure those responsible are brought to justice,” he said.
The legislator added, “Our people deserve to live and work without fear. We must not allow such acts of violence to continue.”
All the victims of the Tuesday incident are non-locals who reside in Mandera town.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif during a meeting with security agencies and non-local representatives, following a terror attack.
Despite heightened security measures in Mandera, militants have continued to cause mayhem in the far-flanked county that borders war-torn Somalia.
On April 18, several military officers were killed and others injured after their vehicle was blown up by an explosive along the Mandera-Arabia road in Mandera East.
The officers were from Omar Jillow, heading to Mandera town, when their vehicle ran over an explosive planted on the road.
On April 22, a technician with Safaricom was abducted while traveling with two other people in a tanker that was supplying fuel to communication masts scattered across Mandera.
The fate of the technician remains unknown to date.