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Abducted Kenyans Finally Freed

The East African Standard (Nairobi)
NEWS
January 23, 2005
Posted to the web January 24, 2005

By Evelyne Ogutu
Nairobi
Shouts of joy rent the air in Moyale township yesterday after four Kenyans who
had been abducted by Ethiopian militiamen were set free.
Three of them had been in captivity since November last year, while the fourth,
a police officer, was abducted two weeks ago. The four had been held hostage in
an undisclosed Ethiopian military camp.
Fresh negotiations held in an undisclosed town in Ethiopia saw the assistant
chief of Kate sub-location, two civilians and a police officer allowed to go
home at last.
Eastern provincial police boss Thomas Chigamba said the freed Kenyans were
handed over to Kenyan authorities after 10 hours of negotiations by delegations
from Kenyan and Ethiopia.
The Kenyan team was led by the Moyale DC Peter Kingola and area police chief
Joseph Musyoka.
The fresh negotiations followed other talks held last year. Last year's talks
collapsed after the Tabaka militiamen allegedly spelt out tough conditions to
the government for the release of the trio.
The militiamen had last year ordered Kenyan authorities to release one of their
own who was arrested in Moyale in possession of an AK-47 riffle.
However, the government declined. Last year, senior officials from the two
countries met in Nanyuki and signed a pact that has not been honoured.
The two sides agreed to set up a radio communication system to assist in
tracking down raiders.

   

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