Somalia has reminded Kenya that its illegal migrants must be treated humanely and not all presumed to be terror suspects.
Somalia ambassador to Kenya, Mohamed Ali Nur said his country supports deportation of illegal migrants, but opposed any attempts to treat all Somalis as suspects. Speaking yesterday at a press briefing in Nairobi, Mr Nur warned against humiliation during screening. “We are in support of the Kenya government’s operation but if our people are harassed we will complain. We want our people not to be humiliated and we are ready to receive them in our country. We want them back to build our nation together,” he said. Nur confirmed the 82 immigrants deported so far had been in the country illegally and agreed to go back home to build their country, which is recovering from war.
“No refugee has been taken out of Kenya without their will. We received a guarantee from the Kenyan Government that no refugee will be taken back to Somalia against their will. I personally accompanied the 82 to Mogadishu and they told me that they hailed from different parts of our country. They accepted that they had no documents allowing them to be here,” the ambassador said. Asked whether the immigrants were able to access the capital city and make a life, he said, “We live as a family, a community of people and thus they got help from their families.”
He added that the Kenyan Government allowed Somali businessmen and students in Kenya but only with the right documents. So far, 4,000 people have been arrested on suspicion of being in the country illegally.
Nur condemned the attacks by al Shabaab in various parts of the country saying that the culprits pose a threat to both Kenyan and Somali citizens.
