Stop foreign mercenaries waging terror, President Uhuru Kenyatta tells world leaders

NEW YORK: President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for stronger efforts to defeat foreign mercenaries waging terror in many parts of the world.

The President, who addressed the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, said half of the terrorists who massacred innocent shoppers and children at the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi last year were foreigners.

He said this should awaken the world to the speed with which terror groups can evolve and the risk posed when they return to their home countries.

The President said it was tragic that the pool of foreign fighters waging terror has also drawn from children in Kenya and the region.

He said Kenya faces a big threat from terrorism because of its geographical location and status as a democracy.

Kenya borders Somalia where Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda, has been waging a violent war for a long time.

“Our status as a democracy, which terrorists associate with the West, also makes us a target. Our deepening democracy and our growing prosperity are anathema to terrorists,” he said.

President Kenyatta said Kenya has boosted efforts to defeat Al-Shabaab, and called for efforts from the whole region to tackle the problem of youth radicalisation.

He said East African countries were also increasing security co-operation alongside their economic integration agenda.

THREATOF TERRORISM

“We in Kenya and East Africa have taken up our responsibilities in this global war against terrorists,” he said.

The UN Security Council, which was meeting to discuss how to tackle terrorism, was addressed by United States President Barack Obama and presidents of other countries that are members of the council.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly earlier, President Kenyatta had spoken at length about the threat of terrorism.

He said Kenya had found itself thrust into the frontline of a regional and global war against terrorism.

“We stand at a critical moment. We have become acutely aware that the interplay between democratisation on the one hand, and effective counter-terrorism on the other, presents severe challenges to our security and governance institutions,” he said.

Uhuru said his Government continues to invest heavily in combating extremists and terrorists.

“This global effort needs to be reinforced because, as we know, the intent of terrorists is to destroy free, secure, democratic nations and people,” he said.

He said the goals of transformation would be compromised if terrorism was allowed to exploit the open, multi-cultural and multi-religious society, and gravely harm the social fabric of Kenya and the world.

After addressing the United Nations Security Council meeting, President Kenyatta also spoke at a high-level meeting chaired by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, which was called to discuss efforts to stabilise Somalia.