Intelligence chiefs from the Great Lakes states are to meet in Kampala, Uganda, to discuss ways to counter the growing threats of terrorism in the region.
Kenya will be represented by NIS chief Maj Gen Philip Kameru.
Intelligence gathering and sharing is high on the agenda as al Shabaab continues to pose a threat.
The region, usually known as International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, are Kenya, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
Kenyan Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed said on Friday in Nairobi that the meeting will discuss the shared threats.
She said terror groups may take advantage of the humanitarian crises faced by many member states such as Burundi and DRC.
“Even as we take cognizance of the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in DRC, South Sudan, Burundi and the CAR, we should still pay sufficient and urgent attention to terrorism,” Amina said.
The spy chiefs’ meeting comes as intelligence sources say al Shabaab may announce allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
The Middle East-based terrorist group is known for beheading of people of other faiths.
Members include highly trained and tech-savy fighters.
“If this materialises, it is going to be a new headache for the region, especially Kenya, which has become an easy target for the militant group,” an intelligence source based in Nairobi said.
Isis is more sophisticated than al Shabaab and its infiltration into Kenya and the region poses even greater risk.
Sources said al Shabaab are laying down strategies to cut off ties with al Qaeda and its leader Ayman al-Zawihiri, which they have been allied to since 2012.
In May, an ‘agent’ of Isis, Hamil al-Bushra, sent a public invitation to al Shabaab leader in Somalia, Abu Ubaidah, inviting him into their fold.
Bushra praised the “brothers in Somalia” and called on them to attack “inside Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia”.
The Star
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