3,000 flee Boni Forest as military in major swoop

NAIROBI: The Kenya Red Cross (KRC) has said nearly 3,000 residents have fled villages in Boni Forest and its environs in Lamu.

This comes after a military offensive to flush Al Shabaab out of the expansive forest began on Friday last week.

KRC now considers that a total of 2,650 people in five villages around the forest are internally displaced or have fled their homes to safer grounds.

KRC Lamu Coordinator Abdulkadir Mohamed said the aid agency had estimated 2,650 internally displaced people by end of last week, noting they are either staying with relatives or in displacement camps around mosques in Bodhai and Baragoni in northern Lamu.

“Most of the displaced people are the elderly, women and children,” said Abdulkadir. He said residents had been fleeing from Basuba, Milimani, Mararani, Kiangwe and Mangai.

“They have told us they are fleeing the threat by Al Shabaab and at the same time, they cannot continue with their livelihood or cultivating and hunting in the forests,” he said.

The official said the victims lack food and water and estimated that they use 40 cubic tonnes of water everyday, yet local water pans at Bodhai have dried up.

He added that the IDPs also require non-food items like tents.

Last week, KRC said it could not access Boni due to fear of landmines and military activity, which was a threat to residents of the neighbouring villages. Families which had fled their homes said they could not move farther for lack of transport and fear of attacks by terrorists.

The northern parts of Lamu and southern parts of Garissa County are now security zones where major operations have been mounted to flush out Al Shabaab remnants believed to be hiding in the vast forest.