Why Somali President Wants Kenya Army Out
Nairobi Star - 27 Otober 2011
 Somali President Shariff Sheikh Ahmed is opposed to the deployment of Kenyan
troops in his country because he believes it is an attempt by Kenya to create an
autonomous Jubaland. Communication from as far back as March 2011 between
President Shariff and President Kibaki shows that the Somali leader asked Kenya
not to deploy to Juba region an estimated 2,500 young Somali soldiers who had
been trained and equipped in Kenya.
President Shariff was worried that the youth, if deployed in the Juba region,
would help former Somali Defence minister Mohamed Ghandi whom Mogadishu suspects
is attempting to create a separate state for himself between Kenya and the Juba
River. President Shariff on Monday issued a statement saying Kenyan troops were
not welcome in Somalia. He said Kenya had gone against the original agreement of
providing logistical support when it sent in soldiers to pursue the Al Shabaab
militia group. His statements were however criticised by several Somali leaders including the
military spokesman and ordinary citizens who said they welcomed Kenya's help to
tame the al-Shabaab. Yesterday, President Shariff and his Prime Minister
Abdiweli issued a statement denying that there was any agreement between the two
governments for the intervention of Kenyan military in Somalia. They said they were opposed to Kenya's intervention but conceded that the two
countries had a common interest to fight against the militia group. "The
government will not break its decision on this issue., Wew have asked Kenya to
assist the Somalia fovernment in training and supporting the Somali a army buy
not to intervene in Somalia," President Sharif said at the joint press
conference he and his PM addressed after a closed door meeting. "We do not have agreement with Kenya. We understood that we need to defend
against the militants but there is no proof saying that we agreed with Kenya,"
PM Abdiweli said. Somalia's pro-government militias of Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamma and
Ras Kamboni have supported Kenya's intervention and criticized the TFG president
for opposing the presence of the Kenyan military. Internal Security minister George Saitoti yesterday wrote to the Somali
government demanding an explanation on President Shariff's remarks as well as
conflicting media media reports about the Somali government's position on the
ongoing military co-operation. "In the light of this the Kenya Government is
seeking clarification of the Somali government's position as it is essential to
have a unified approach in dealing with the destabilization of Somalia by Al
Shabaab and its threats to peace and security to Kenya and the region,"
Saitoti's letter read. "In the meantime Kenya with collaboration with IGAD and
AU, is continuing with the operation against Al Shabaab." While Kenya wanted the soldiers it had trained to form a buffer between Kenya
and the Al Shabaab-controlled regions around Mogadishu, the Somalia Transitional
Government wanted them sent to Mogadishu to fight Islamist militia. Ethiopia too
has objected to the creation of Jubaland mainly inhabited by the Ogaden and
Merehan clans. Addis Ababa feels that would encourage separatist passion in the
Ogaden Region of Ethiopia. The decision by the Kenya government to recruit mainly from the Ogaden resulted
in complaints from other clans. The Ogaden clan primarily lives in the Central
Ogaden plateau of Ethiopia, the North-Eastern Province of Kenya, and the
Jubaland region of Southern Somalia. They also inhabit Somalia's major cities
such as Mogadishu and Kismayo. The Marehan mostly live in Jubaland, Gedo and
Lower Juba regions in Southwest Somalia and in Northeast Kenya. They are
considered the most fierce nationalists among the Somali people and have always
played key roles in both the Somali uprisings. In a letter dated March 21 and addressed to President Kibaki, the Somali
President acknowledges the role Kenya has played in training and equipping the
army of youths. "Excellency we are particularly indebted for the training and
equipping our forces in Kenya. We pray that a peaceful Somali and region will
enjoy Strengthened friendship and prosperity," states President Shariff. The
letter was handed to President Kibaki in Nairobi by Somali Prime Minister
Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke. Due to suspicions against his former Defence minister Ghandi, President Shariff
in the letter to President Kibaki transferred the responsibility of the
coordination of the youth recruits from Ghandi to then Defense Minister Abdullah
Boss. "I write to you this letter to inform you that the bilateral security
responsibilities including the coordination and follow up of Somali force
training in Kenya that we previously assigned to our former Minister of Defense
and current Minister for Air and Land Transportation HE Mohamed Abdi Gandi is
hereby transferred to our current Ministry of Defense," the letter says. The Somali President further transferred the responsibility of regional
administrators trained in Kenya to the current Interior minister of Somalia,
Abdirashid Mohamed Hidig. "There are people who are unhappy of the training that
you have provided for our forces and the regional administration and wish to
deny this region and Somalia any peace and stability. We wish to correct this
situation administratively by bringing the military force under the department
of Defense and the regional administration under the ministry of interior,"
stated the Somali President. In late March 2011, Gandi hosted elders from the Marehaan and Ogaden - who are
the main clans in Gedo and Juba regions of Somalia - at Chester House in Nairobi
to discuss the stalemate in the deployment process. In the meeting Gandi
discussed with the clan elders a possible withdrawal of support to the
government. Meanwhile, thousands of Somalis at the Dadaab,Ifo and Hagadera refugee camps
yesterday held a peaceful demonstration against President Shariff and to voice
their support for the military operation. Hagadera camp Chairman Kussow Abdi
Nuni said they supported the intervention as frequent incursions into Kenya by
Somali militiamen had negatively affected their peaceful stay in the country. He said Shariff's sentiments were out of touch with the reality on the ground as
al-Shabaab had carried out frequent raids forcing humanitarian organisations
working in the camps to scaled down or stop their operations altogether putting
the lives of thousands of Somali refugees in jeopardy. "As the refugee community
we have to be grateful to Kenya for giving us a safe haven for more than two
decades. We condemn insecurity and that is why we support the Kenyan opearion in
Somalia", said Kussow.
Source: The Star Nairobi
Oct 28, 2011 Kibaki said: "Our mission in Somalia is therefore, based on a legitimate
right to protect Kenya’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity". "Kenya
can no longer bear the burden of hosting the massive number of refugees and
calls upon the Commonwealth to support efforts to facilitate their return to
Somalia or relocation to another country," Eeg halkan)
Saitoti: Kenya doesn't intend to annex Somalia
Faafin: SomaliTalk.com | Oct 27, 2011
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