Kenya has moved a notch higher in fighting terrorism by widening the search net to financiers and sympathisers of terror operations.
On Wednesday, the country’s Cabinet Secretary in charge of Internal Security Fred Matiang’i announced that the government has frozen the accounts and assets of nine individuals suspected to be funding terror activities within the East Africa region.
The country has been a victim of numerous terrorism attacks executed by the Somali based Al-Shabaab terror group, the latest of which happened in January 2019 at a hotel and office complex in Nairobi. It left more than 20 people dead.
The Security Minister announced that the country’s focus and unrelenting resolve to pursue terrorists and their financiers is unbowed and will continue until the outlawed groups are neutralized.
“Acting pursuant to United Nation’s Security Council resolution on suppression of terrorism, the government has decided to freeze all funds held in accounts and properties of all the nine individuals believed to be key financiers of terrorism in the region,” Dr Matiang’i said.
Those whose accounts the government froze are Halima Adan Ali, Waleed Ahmed Zein, Sheikh Guyo Gorsa Boru, Mohammed Abdi Ali, Nuseiba Mohammed Haji, Abdimajit Adan Hassan, Mohammed Ali Abdi, Muktar Ibrahim Ali and Mire Abdullahi Elmi.
According to the minister, making the names public is aimed at choking their facilitations and let the whole world know their identity so that they can no longer finance Al-Shabaab operations with the Kenyan boarders.
Noting that terrorism knows no bounds, the Cabinet Secretary said the country shall not surrender into the hands of terrorists or be hoodwinked by the narrative being propagated that the fight against terrorism is being fought along ethnic and religious lines.
Dr Matiang’ added that the only way Kenya and countries in the East Africa region will win the war on terror is by denying terrorists the means to threaten lives.
“As part of our comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy, we will continue to disrupt terrorist operations with a sole focus on bringing to book the perpetrators, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts in line with our national and international laws,” added Matiang’i.
The Kenyan government noted that terrorism remains the biggest threat to global peace and security, and that the country’s security forces will not lie down but will continue being in the frontline fighting the vice across the continent.
Dr Matiang’i warned that the terror groups are progressively planting operatives among civilians to advance their agenda through recruitment and radicalization.
“Our focus and unrelenting resolve to pursue and confront these threats head-on remains, and we won’t hesitate to subject any individual or entity seeking to harm our people to the full force of the law,” said the minister.
He noted further that the country has made tremendous gains in detecting threats posed by terrorists and will continue with the counter-terrorism measures in sustaining the fight.
Kenya Freezes Accounts and Assets of Terrorism Financiers in Enhanced Fight Against Terror
