AL SHABAB LINKED TO MAU MAU REBELLION
BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU
Former Kenya Mau Mau freedom fighters gather
to witness the official unveiling of a bronze statue monument of their
hero Dedan Kimathi in Nairobi February 18, 2007. Kenya human rights
groups have criticised Britain's response to a case brought by
former Mau Mau independence fighters accusing the former imperial power
of unchecked torture in the east African nation.
Credit: Reuters/Antony Njuguna
The terrorist group Al Shabab has been linked to Mau Mau
rebellion of the 1950’s in per-independent Kenya in its mode of operations.
While speaking to a
gathering at the annual lecture held by Centre for Demilitarization and
Constitutionalism on Democratization in
Africa ,British Born University Don,Dr Gabrielle Lynch of the Department of
Political and International Studies, University of Warwick said that there were
ideological links between both groups and era.
She explained that this was so because of the way armed gangs
around the world interpreted situations which usually lead to their war of
incoherency.
She noted that AL Shabab for instance claims that they are
fighting the authorities because of the way Muslims are treated in the Horn of
Africa,East Africa and worldwide.
She however urged all government to think of a different
approach to approach terror issues since current trends does not seems to be
working at all.
She affirmed that while trying to balance power ,the current
regime of President Uhuru Kenyatta also have to endear itself to the populace
thus the kind of approach it has used so far to tackle Al Shabab in the wake of
the bombing of the westgate Mall in Nairobi last year.
She denied that she was praising America and the United
Kingdom as the best things that a democracy can be but quickly added that
people all have things to learn from each other.
She pointed out that since she was not from Africa and the environment and
situations were different she can only make suggestions but only Africans can
solve there own peculiar problems.
She insisted that the riots the engulfed the 2007 elections
in Kenya was not a rejection of democratic norms but a rejection of the manipulation
of the polls.
Dr Lynch affirmed that it had become even more critical in today’s
Kenya for stability and peace to exist side by side as it was unthinkable to be thinking otherwise.
The don blamed the media and civil society for helping to
increase the stoke of violence during the crisis in Kenya in 2007.,adding that the
fall out of that period has now made the local populace in Kenya to lose interest
in election.
No comments:
Post a Comment