Kenya asks Somalia not to drag it into internal issues

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Kenya on Thursday urged Somalia to not drag the East African nation into its internal affairs.

Speaking to reporters in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, amid high tensions between the neighbors, government spokesman Cyrus Oguna said: “As a country we will not accept being drawn into the internal politics of Somalia. We are calling on all Somali leadership to desist from dragging Kenya into their domestic issues.”

He said: “As a people, we remain committed to peace in our region, and we shall continue to work towards achieving it. We are peace-loving people in a country governed by the rule of law and guided by the principle of non-interference.”

Saying Kenya will not meddle in the internal affairs of any country, he added: “We equally expect reciprocity. We will, however, continue to advocate for peace and stability in the region, and thus call for a total cessation of hostilities in Somalia in order to give peace a chance.”

Kenya told Somali leaders to create an environment that will facilitate the resolution of conflicts through dialogue.

He dismissed any talk of its arming any militia groups to attack Somalia, which has always been an allied nation.

The tension between Kenya and Somalia has its “genesis in domestic political activity in Somalia,” he said.

Despite the current tensions between the two countries, Oguna said Kenya will not stop helping Somalia regain peace by defeating al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorists.

“We as a country have never spared any efforts in trying to find a lasting solution in that country. As a country we will continue to push for stability in that country because a stable Somalia is good for all of us in the region,” he explained.

According to Kenya, every day over 500 mothers and elderly people from Somalia cross into Kenya to seek medical services, 3,000 students cross every day to pursue education, and 8,000 individuals cross over to do business, and all have been affected by the heightened tensions.

Somalia, a Horn of Africa country, accused Kenya of supporting armed fighters who engaged Somali forces on Monday, a fight that claimed 11 lives.

Kenya, however, denied the allegations and said it wants the conflict to end.