Hundreds of Kenyans quit ai-Shabaab

Nearly 700 recruits have returned to Kenya after quitting militant groups, a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says. The report warns that a failure to reintegrate returnees may lead to further radicalisation. Somalia’s Islamist al-Shabab militants are believed to be recruiting heavily in neighbouring north-eastern Kenya. Kenya has seen a series of […]

Nearly 700 recruits have returned to Kenya after quitting militant groups, a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.
The report warns that a failure to reintegrate returnees may lead to further radicalisation.
Somalia’s Islamist al-Shabab militants are believed to be recruiting heavily in neighbouring north-eastern Kenya.
Kenya has seen a series of militant attacks with one at a university earlier this year killed 148 people.
Although the report does not mention where the returnees came from, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Hassan Ole Nadu has confirmed to the BBC that they were fighting for al-Shabab.
The 36-page report was compiled by the IOM, Supkem and the Kenya’s interior ministry.
Researchers found that although most adults joined the group voluntarily, nearly a third of children interviewed said they were forced to enlist.
The return of the youth, the report says, provides both “opportunities and threats for and to Kenyans”.