The Shifta War (1963–1967) was a secessionist conflict in which ethnic Somalis in the Northern Frontier District (NFD) of Kenya (a region that is and has historically been almost exclusively inhabited by ethnic Somalis attempted to join with their fellow Somalis in a Greater Somalia. The Kenyan government named the conflict "shifta", after the Somali word for "bandit", as part of a propaganda effort. The Kenyan counter-insurgency General Service Units forced civilians into "protected villages" (essentially concentration camps) as well as killing a large number of livestock kept by the pastoralist Somalis. The war ended in the late summer of 1967 when Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal, Prime Minister of the Somali Republic, signed a ceasefire with Kenya. However, the violence in Kenya deteriorated into disorganised banditry, with occasional episodes of secessionist agitation, for the next several decades. The war and violent clampdowns by the Kenyan government caused large-scale disruption to the way of life in the district, resulting in a slight shift from pastoralist and transhumant lifestyles to sedentary, urban lifestyles. Fellow Kenyans,which benefits to we rip from the Northern frontier(North Eastern province)? Do they do serious farming that can provide other Kenyans with food? Do they have any minerals in the region which can earn Kenya some wealth? Are there any tourist destinations in Garissa,Wajir and Mandera regions which can earn Kenya income from the tourists? Do they grow any cash crops that can be exported and earn Kenya foreign exchange? A part from hiding terrorists who camouflage as Kenyan Somalis when they really come from the Somalia Republic,what benefit do we get from this region? I think Kenya made a mistake in 1960s.We should have left these people to seceed to Somalia.The Nation would not be struggling to identify terrorists! Any Somali in Kenya would have been treated as a foreigner.This would make it easy to deal with terrorists.The huge Kenyan budget set aside to fight terrorism would be used on development.If anything,how much does North Eastern Province contribute towards the Gross Domestic Product? Fellow Kenyans,I propose a Constitutional Change to allow North Eastern Province to seceed to Somalia the way they wanted in 1960s.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 04:37:54 +0000
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