NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 26 – A Nairobi-based Terrorism Observatory, the Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS), says terror-related attacks claimed 122 lives in the country in 2020 compared to 2019 when the figure stood at 83.
According to a report released by the firm, fifty-eight of those killed were members of the Al Shabaab terrorist group while 35 were civilians. Twenty-eight others were security officials and one was a government official.
“Terror attacks claimed 122 lives in Kenya in 2020, of the fatalities recorded in 2020, the majority were members of the Al Shabaab terrorist group with fifty-eight militants reported dead,” a statement issued by CHRISPS on Thursday noted.
“The data which is derived from the CHRIPS Terror Attacks and Arrests Observatory further revealed a steady increase in attacks targeting security officials over the last three years,” the report added.
The majority of these attacks occurred in the northeastern region in towns and villages neighbouring the Kenya-Somali border.
“Mandera recorded the largest number of attacks which stood at 29. Others were 23 in Garissa, nine in Lamu and eight in Wajir,” the statement read in part.
The group’s Research Fellow Patrick Mutahi, commenting on the report, said the government and relevant stakeholders should relook at counter-terror strategies in counties worst hit to overcome the insecurity menace.
“The figures reveal a big increase in attacks from 34 reported in 2019 to 69 in 2020. The government and relevant stakeholders will need to relook at counter terror strategies in counties worst hit to overcome the insecurity,” Mutahi said.
Over the same period, the report further noted that seventy-six people were arrested in connection to terror-related activities.
“The largest number of arrests took place in January when 43 people were arraigned in court on suspicion that they were linked to Al Shabaab and were planning to conduct a terror attack in Nairobi,” CHRIPS explained.