Kenyan court lifts ban on Mombasa secessionist group

Nairobi, 26 Jul – (ANA) - A Kenyan court has lifted a ban on a group demanding an independent state around the coastal city of Mombasa - a popular tourist destination.

The government outlawed the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) in 2010, describing it as a "criminal group". The government has said it will appeal the High Court's ruling that the ban was unconstitutional. The ruling raises concern that Kenya's stability could be threatened by louder calls for secession, analysts say.

The MRC accuses the government of marginalising the indigenous ethnic groups living along the coast, which is also the centre of the country's tourism sector.

Dozens of MRC members have been arrested this year as the security forces try to enforce the ban. (ANA)

FA/ANA/26 July 2012-----------