The operations of the EACRF are bogged down by a poor interpretation of its mandate and the unrealistic expectations of the host country.
The US has become addicted to private military contractors mainly because they provide “plausible deniability” in the so-called war on terror.
Kenyan activists Faith Kasina and Gathanga Ndung’u deliver powerful and sharp criticism of the role of the Kenyan police as the oppressor of the masses. They explain in detail how police terror has manifested itself on issues such as the crackdowns on activists, the aftermath of elections, state-led campaigns against terrorism and informal settlements. They also take the time to commemorate fallen activists and inform us about ongoing grassroots movements against the violence of the police, which they believe needs radical surgery or a total overhaul.
There is evidence that many terrorist organizations in Africa are rapidly creating technical solutions to enhance their lethal operations. It is therefore of paramount importance that African counterterrorism efforts keep up with technological advancements.
When in 2013, young men started taking over mosques in coastal Kenya, it produced two sets of narratives; one, the youth were extremists, and two, the youths were reformists. The extremism narrative framing has created a set of policy responses that have exacerbated the problem. The Elephant in conversation with Dr Hawa Noor M., a scholar, and peace and security commentator based in East Africa and Germany.
Ten years after Kenya’s military foray into Somalia began, what have been the significant achievements of the intervention?
Muslim leadership, whether political or in civil society, is crucial if the instrumentalization of grievances to entice Kenyans to join al-Shabaab is to be avoided.
The government’s decision to withdraw all non-local teachers has played into al-Shabaab’s hands and consigned the region’s youth to a life of poverty.
The peace and safety that were the raison d’être of the Kenya Defence Forces’ incursion into Somalia are nowhere in sight a decade after the first boots marched in.
Ten years ago this month Kenyan troops invaded Somalia. Coverage of the incursion by the Kenyan media has consistently and uncritically favoured the Kenya Defence Forces.
Twenty years later, the US has little to show for its massive investment of trillions of dollars and the countless lives lost. Its defeat in Afghanistan may yet prove more consequential than 9/11.
Would US-Kenya relations be significantly different today had the al-Qaeda attacks not taken place?