Court frees 43 accused of being secessionist group members

A court in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa released 43 men on Thursday who had been charged with being members of a group that seeks the independence of the Coast region from the hinterland. The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) accuses the government of decades of social and economic marginalization of the Coast region, and wants […]

A court in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa released 43 men on Thursday who had been charged with being members of a group that seeks the independence of the Coast region from the hinterland. The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) accuses the government of decades of social and economic marginalization of the Coast region, and wants it to secede and form its own government. The 43 were arrested in 2014, in Kilifi, north of Mombasa, for stepping up the activities of the movement. Authorities say this involved attacks on police and polling stations, and killing security personnel and individuals perceived to be non-natives.