Around 700 British troops training in Kenya have been prevented from leaving after the Nairobi government withdrew diplomatic permits over a travel advice row.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued a travel advisory to British tourists visiting the east African country, warning against holidaying in a number of high-risk areas.
The soldiers from 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, had been involved in infantry training exercises and were due to fly home on aircraft delivering their replacements from the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment.
However the Kenyan government has delayed issuing diplomatic clearance for the Parachute Regiment to enter the country, leaving the 700 soldiers waiting to go home stranded.
The FCO has warned tourists against travelling to the region near the Somalia border or in the poorer areas of Nairobi.
An FCO spokesperson said: ‘There is a high threat from terrorism, including kidnapping. The main threat comes from extremists linked to Al Shabaab, a militant group that has carried out attacks in Kenya in response to Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia.’
Relations between London and Nairobi have been frosty since the country’s new president Uhuru Kenyatta accused the British government of supporting a rival candidate, according to the Daily Telegraph,
A spokesman for the British High Commission in Nairobi said: ‘There has been a delay that we became aware of in the middle of last week in the receipt of diplomatic clearance from the Kenyan authorities for these troops. We hope this will be resolved shortly.’
British troops have used Kenya for infantry training for many years but that agreement is now under jeopardy.
One security source told the Telegraph: ‘It’s not clear why the paperwork’s being held up [for the soldiers] but it’s very hard to think it’s coincidence at a time when the Kenyans are pretty annoyed at the travel advisories and all the earlier stuff.’
According to High Commissioner Christian Turner, British troops training in Kenya provide a £58 million boost to the local economy.
The Military of Defence added: ‘The UK has a long-standing, mutually beneficial, defence relationship with Kenya and we hope that the delay in receipt of diplomatic clearances from the Kenyan authorities will be resolved shortly.
