Kenya: Landmine kills three police officers in Garissa county May 24

Event

According to local officials, a police vehicle hit a landmine during an early morning patrol in Garissa county (Somali border region), on Wednesday, May 24. Three police officers were reportedly killed and eight others injured. The improvised explosive device (IED) is believed to have been laid by Al-Shabaab militants. Kenya is on high alert due to the threat of increasing violence after Al-Shabaab militants were seen moving into parts of North Eastern province in small groups and are believed to be laying IEDs along routes used by security forces on patrol in order to hamper Kenyan security operations.

Context

Garissa county has suffered several attacks linked to Al-Shabaab in the past few years, including the 2015 assault at Garissa University, in which 148 people were killed.

Al-Shabaab attacks have often targeted the Kenya’s northeast, near the porous border with Somalia, as well as coastal areas popular with tourists and the capital Nairobi. The militant group has been effectively at war with the country since Kenyan forces engaged in the international fight against the terrorist group beginning in October 2011.

Al-Shabaab, which seeks to topple Somalia's government and impose its own harsh interpretation of Sharia law, says it will continue to attack Kenya until Nairobi withdraws its troops from the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Advice

Individuals in Kenya are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities and be particularly cautious when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (government buildings, places of worship, tourist sites, etc.). Due to these and other security concerns, many Western governments advise against travel to a number of regions in the country, including areas bordering Somalia (parts of Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Lamu counties), Ethiopia, and South Sudan, as well as nonessential travel to the city of Mombasa. Several Nairobi neighborhoods, including Eastleigh and Pangani, are also best avoided.