Source: StarAfrica.com
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki called for “tolerance” in the port of Mombasa Thursday, as he visited…
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki called for “tolerance” in the port of Mombasa Thursday, as he visited the troubled city after days of violence sparked by the killing of a radical Muslim cleric.
“We must maintain peace, which is the foundation of democracy,” Kibaki said to crowds in Mombasa. “We must embrace tolerance and co-exist peacefully as one nation.”
Authorities insist security has been restored. Hundreds of armed officers have been deployed to quash stone-throwing rioters who took to the streets in their hundreds following the assassination of preacher Aboud Rogo Mohammed on Monday.
“We have tightened security, we have enough security forces,” said regional police chief Aggrey Adoli, speaking a day after attackers hurled a grenade at a police truck, wounding at least four officers. “We have not had problems today.”
The attack, in which the Red Cross said one person was killed, was the second such blast since riots broke out on Monday, with an earlier grenade killing three policemen on Tuesday.
Kibaki flew to Mombasa to open an agricultural trade fair, a longstanding engagement, but one which is also viewed as a government effort to show confidence in security in the city, Kenya’s main port and a key tourist hub.
For two days, angry youths fought running battles with police, looting churches and torching cars. But Muslim leaders said Thursday the situation had improved, with many businesses closed during the rioting now open.
“Things are much calmer after last night’s house to house searches by the police… Mombasa is slowly returning to normal,” said Khalid Hussein, head of the local organisation Muslims for Human Rights.
Yes, we really were in the thick of things:( In fact, most of the rioters were not even Muslim and probably never even knew the dead cleric, but, were only rioting to be able to damage and loot.
It was really quite bad and the fact that it has also been pouring with rain since Eid weekend, made everything quite awful.
Add to that the fact that it has been school holidays and many people have been visiting Mombasa for their vacations and to see the Agricultural Show of Kenya (ASK), which takes place every year towards the end of August.
That’s what our President was here to open and his reason for being in town.
I’m so very glad and thankful that everything is back to normal, again, Alhamdulillah. I just hope and pray that it continues staying that way.