The US said on Friday that it was evacuating some of its Kenyan embassy staff due to security risks in the wake of attacks by al-Shabaab militants that left dozens dead.
Travel restrictions have been put into place for government personnel and “based on the recent changes in Kenya’s security situation, the embassy is also relocating some staff to other countries,” the US Department of State said.
However, despite the evacuations, the Nairobi-based embassy would “remain open for normal operations,” it said.
The US Department of State warned US citizens of the dangers of traveling to Kenya and urged those already in the country to “evaluate their personal security situation in light of continuing and recently heightened threats from terrorism and the high rate of violent crime in some areas.”
“The US government continues to receive information about potential terrorist threats aimed at US, Western and Kenyan interests in Kenya,” the department said.
“Although the pursuit of those responsible for previous terrorist activities continues, many of those involved remain at large and still operate in the region,” it added.
Gunmen late on Sunday last week raided the coastal town of Mpeketoni — near the tourist island of Lamu — and massacred close to 50 people.
The attack came as some people in the town were watching a World Cup match in local cafes and hotels.
Nine more people were killed in an attack the following night in a nearby village.
The attacks were claimed by Somalia’s al-Shabaab, although Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has blamed the carnage on “local political networks” and an “opportunist network of other criminal gangs.”
On Thursday, Kenyan security forces killed five people suspected of involvement in the attacks.
In light of the bloodshed, the Kenyan government has urged soccer fans to watch World Cup matches in their own homes, rather than in public places.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese