Kenya rebukes Somali leaders, says claims diversionary

GOOBJOOG NEWS|NAIROBI:   Desist from dragging us into your domestic affairs, Kenya has told Somalia in its second response since the release of the IGAD report which has largely poured cold water on Mogadishu’s allegations.

Kenya’s spokesman Cyrus Oguna told journalists in Nairobi Thursday Somali leaders were bent on fighting Kenya to advance their political interests adding that Kenya will not tolerate such behaviour.

“As a country, we want to state very clearly, that we will not accept to be drawn into internal politics of Somalia,” Oguna said.

“We are calling on Somali leadership to desist from dragging Kenya into their domestic issues,” Oguna stated adding that the fighting in Bula Hawa was a local issues given ‘an external angle’.

Noting that Somalia’s accusations were diversionary intended to redirect the attention of the Somali people away from real issues on the ground, Oguna said Kenya will not be involved in Somalia’s internal affairs.

‘We will not meddle in the internal affairs of any country, and 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.”

The IGAD report which Somalia has dismissed as ‘one-side’ concluded that there was no sufficient ground to warrant a cut of relations with Kenya by Somalia.

“The commission considers that these grievances, some of which are long-standing, do not appear to it to be sufficient to justify a diplomatic separation between Kenya and Somalia,” the report read in part.