Foreign Correspondent Margot Kiser
Letters to Annie from Kaftanistan
Write from experience, and experience only… Try to be one of those on whom nothing is lost – Henry James, American-born writer (1843-1916)
LAMU, Kenya – Al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia, released a statement on its media website claiming recent attacks in parts of northeastern Kenya. At around 6 am on Wednesday, November 25th, Special Forces and Ranger Strike Force battalions were patrolling near the town of Galmagala, the outermost perimeters of the deployment area, when they encountered […]
An acquaintance in Lamu gave me a pamphlet she said had been handed to passengers on a bus from Mombasa to Lamu on September 21, 2015. Perhaps not coincidentally the date marked the second anniversary of the deadly Westgate Mall attack. The group behind the leaflet, Kenya Citizen Coalition (KCC), appears to be pro-government, very […]
MOMBASA – Off to an interesting start this morning: I’m in Mombasa participating in a writers conference focusing on political violence. The group consists of poets, journalists, anthropologists, historians…I was in the front in a van with some from the group en route to Swahili cultural center when a matatu (ad hoc bus) passed by […]
The events that have both given birth to and plagued South Sudan have as much if not more to do with oil and minerals as with religion and right-wing anti-Islamists.
Occupational Hazards – thoughts on Kenya and Somalia, Post-Garissa Attack Demands for the removal of Kenyan troops from Somalia are usually heard from Al-Shabaab, most vociferously in the wake of attacks carried out in retaliation for the ongoing occupation, and targeting Kenyan civilians. Now the Somali government is reportedly calling for the withdrawal […]
McCarthy Tactics by Kenya in Response to Garissa University Massacre, some say The state announced Wednesday that it has frozen the accounts of 86 individuals, businesses, and non-government organizations with alleged financial links to Al Shabaab. A list, released yesterday by Kenya’s Ministry of Finance, includes a dozen money-transfer companies believed to have roles in funding the Somali militant group. […]
According to sources on the ground in Garissa, the death toll will easily exceed the last official count of 147. Those helping remove bodies say at least 286 died at the scene. It’s unclear how many died later of injuries. Witnesses say the attackers did not separate Christians from Muslims nor was anyone beheaded. The guards manning the entrance of […]
A new online jihadist magazine calls on East African militants to pledge allegiance to Al-Qaeda #Kenya #Somalia http://t.co/fElL1osZl8 https://archive.org/stream/AmkaMagazine/Al-Muhajiroun01#page/n0/mode/1up
The Kenya Siege Since late last year, Western forces have dealt the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab some high-impact blows. A drone strike in September killed one of its most ruthless jihadists, Ahmed Abdi Godane. Earlier this month, a second drone strike killed Yusef Dheeq, the group’s commander of external operations. Meanwhile, according to human rights […]
According to a recent Reporters without Borders index Kenya ranks at #90. After today, with the new security bill, its position no doubt plummeted closer to #180, the bottom position, which Eritrea now occupies. Kenya’s Jubilee government reacted to press coverage of Westgate Mall attack in 2013 (exposing Kenya Defense Forces looting items […]
