Kenya screened 2456, deported 442 in 44 days
Somalis have been the most affected, with 1023 of them being arrested, along with 557 Kenyans and 444 Ethiopians
NAIROBI
Some 2456 people from 26 countries were screened and 442 deported by Kenyan authorities between April 1 and May 13 as part of the ongoing security operation dubbed "Usalama Watch," according to an official document obtained by Anadolu Agency.
"To date, 2456 persons have been screened for misdeeds, such as not having proper identification documents, being in the county illegally [and] possessing illicit weapons, among other crimes," a letter signed by R.M Ngesu, the political and diplomatic secretary at Kenya's Foreign Ministry, reads in part.
The letter, dated May 19, was sent to the ministry's principal secretary, all heads of departments and all Kenyan missions abroad.
It offers the clearest figures on Operation Usalama Watch since the campaign was launched by Kenyan authorities on April 1 following a surge in terrorist attacks in capital Nairobi and in the coastal city of Mombasa.
According to the document, as of May 13, Somalis have been the most affected, with 1023 of them being arrested, along with 557 Kenyans and 444 Ethiopians.
Others arrested and screened during the same period hail from Congo, Cameroon, Britain, the U.S., Germany, Norway, Pakistan, Yemen, Switzerland, Eritrea, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Nigeria, Canada, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan and Rwanda.
"[Of those arrested] 295 have been taken to court, 885 screened and released, 782 taken to designated refugee camps, 442 deported and 52 awaiting deportation," said the document.
It stressed the government's commitment to ensuring that screening was done "in the most humane manner against the sensitivity of the security operation."
It went on to say that the Kasarani holding camp remained open to human rights groups and foreign missions in Nairobi.
Nairobi's Kasarani Stadium has been turned into what human rights activists now describe as a "concentration camp" for housing detainees.
The security operation has drawn rebuke from Muslim leaders and rights advocates, who say it unfairly targets Kenyan Muslims and members of the country's Somali community.
The perceived mistreatment of Somali nationals by Kenyan authorities had threatened a diplomatic row between Nairobi and Mogadishu, with the latter briefly recalling its ambassador and demanding an explanation from the Kenya government.
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