Kenyan President William Ruto has directed the army to assist in a security operation against armed bandits in the northern Rift Valley region who have killed dozens of people in recent months.
According to a government announcement, the troops will be deployed to assist the police beginning Wednesday. The announcement came as the interior ministry labelled parts of six counties in the region “disturbed and dangerous,” imposing a 30-day dusk-to-dawn curfew beginning Tuesday.
“The government has determined the security situation currently prevailing in the northern Rift Valley Region as a national emergency. Accordingly, painful and decisive measures must be taken effectively immediately,” stated Kenya’s Minister of Interior and Administration of National Government, Prof Kindiki Kithure in a statement.
It ordered all persons holding illicit guns and ammunition to hand them over to the authorities in three days or face the full force of the law.
According to the interior ministry, bandits have killed over 100 civilians and 16 police officers in the last six months.
The administration has been chastised for not doing enough to address the issue, despite the fact that armed gunmen have recently become more daring, killing residents and stealing animals despite high-level security briefings in the areas.