Police heighten security along Kenya’s borders following Ethiopia unrest

Police have heightened security along Kenya’s borders following unrest in Ethiopia.

In a statement, National Police Service director of corporate communication Bruno Shioso (pictured) urged citizens to report suspected aliens.

Shioso said the government has noted with concern recent and unfolding events that disturb the peace and stability in neighbouring countries and the greater Eastern Africa region.

"As an immediate neighbour to some of the affected countries, Kenya may be adversely impacted by the consequences of the events," he said.

Shioso added that suspected cases of undocumented people and unprocessed immigrants in the country should be reported to the police.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pledged on Wednesday to bury his government's enemies "with our blood" as he marked the start of the war in the Tigray region one year ago.

Abiy, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, was speaking a day after a state of emergency was declared in the country and with Tigrayan forces threatening to advance on the capital Addis Ababa.

"The pit which is dug will be very deep, it will be where the enemy is buried, not where Ethiopia disintegrates," he said in a speech at an event at the military's headquarters in Addis Ababa.

"We will bury this enemy with our blood and bones and make the glory of Ethiopia high again," said Abiy, who won the Nobel prize for settling Ethiopia's longtime conflict with Eritrea.

A moment of silence was observed at the candle-lit ceremony to commemorate those killed on Nov, 3, 2020, when forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) - including some soldiers - seized military bases in Tigray. In response, Abiy sent more troops to the northern region.

The TPLF led Ethiopia's ruling coalition for nearly 30 years but lost control when Abiy took office in 2018 following years of anti-government protests.

Relations with the TPLF soured after they accused him of centralising power at the expense of Ethiopia's regional states - an accusation Abiy denies.

The conflict in Africa's second-most populous country has killed thousands of people, forced more than two million from their homes, and left 400,000 people in Tigray facing famine.