UK cancels military training in Kenya over permit dispute

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Britain has cancelled one of its annual military trainings in Kenya after failing to obtain a licence from the government, its defence ministry said on Thursday.

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Kenya hosts a permanent base for the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in Laikipia, about 200 kilometres (130 miles) north of Nairobi.

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The east African nation became independent from Britain in 1963 but ties remain strong and their defence agreement allows for several thousand British troops to carry out exercises on Kenyan soil each year.

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“It is with regret that the necessary licences required to allow training to take place in Laikipia later this year have not been forthcoming,” the British ministry of defence said in a statement.

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The training has been relocated to another country, it added, without disclosing the new location.

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The ministry did not reveal the reasons behind the failure to obtain the licence, while the Kenyan government did not respond to AFP queries on the matter.

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The relocation, however, does not affect the broader defence partnership between the two countries, the ministry said.

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The base has been a source of controversy over the years, however, thanks to high-profile murder and rape cases involving British soldiers.

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AFP

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