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STRATFOR.com
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Kenya Crackdown Inflaming Religious
November 20, 2001
Summary
Under U.S. pressure, Kenyan police have launched a series of raids targeting the country's Muslim community. Nairobi has focused on the predominantly Muslim coastal city of Mombasa, which is believed to harbor terrorist cells connected to al Qaeda and which is also a transit point for South Asian drug traffickers. The crackdown will widen divisions between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities and will also force drug smugglers to seek alternate routes.
Analysis
Kenyan police recently arrested more than 50 Muslims, including the leader of the National Muslim Youth party. The arrests are part of a new crackdown by Kenyan authorities -- in response to pressure from Washington -- aimed at rooting out potential terrorist cells.
Several members of the business community were targeted in the raids, which are exacerbating the historical hostility between Kenya's Muslims and non-Muslims. The heightened tensions bode ill for the East African country's long-term stability. In the near term, the expanded police vigilance will hinder drug smuggling through Kenya, forcing traffickers to seek alternative routes and undermining the effectiveness of law enforcement.
The Sept. 11 terror strikes against the United States have thrown a spotlight on East Africa's Muslim communities. Washington has focused especially on Kenya and Tanzania. Some of the suspects implicated in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings came from Zanzibar and the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, suggesting al Qaeda has established cells and contacts in these areas.
(The Rest of the Story)
(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
Kenya Crackdown Inflaming Religious . . .