http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Eritrea-did-not-fly-arms-to-al-Shabaab-20120116
Eritrea did not fly arms to al-Shabaab
2012-01-16 22:34
Addis Ababa - Eritrea did not airlift arms to Islamist militants in
the Somali town of Baidoa late last year, a preliminary UN report has
found, pouring cold water on a charge that sparked a diplomatic row
between the two countries.
Kenya accused Eritrea in November of delivering caches of weapons to
al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group battling to overthrow the
Western-backed government in Mogadishu and fighting Kenyan troops in
the south of Somalia.
Eritrea has repeatedly denied the accusation and said it is no enemy of Kenya's
"The monitoring group's preliminary assessment is that these reports
were incorrect and that the alleged deliveries to Baidoa probably did
not take place," The UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said
in its latest report for December.
The UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea (SEMG) was established
to keep an eye on violations of a two-decade old arms embargo on the
lawless Horn of Africa nation.
"The SEMG will, however, continue to probe this matter and is awaiting
additional information from the Kenyan authorities before reaching a
final determination," it said.
Nairobi said at the time it had intelligence that consignments of arms
were flown to rebel-controlled Baidoa from Eritrea, and used the
alleged deliveries as a pretext for launching air raids on rebel
bases.
Kenyan officials have said that Eritrean denials are not enough, and
that it should go further and denounce al-Shabaab.
The east African country rolled into Somalia in mid-October to fight
the Islamist insurgents, whom it blames for a slew of kidnappings on
Kenyan soil. Ethiopia, too, has sent troops across its border, opening
up a third front against the rebels.
"I urge all Muslims to start fire in Nairobi, Garissa and Addis Ababa.
This time, the Christians are weak," al-Shabaab spokesperson Sheikh
Ali Mohamud Rage told reporters at a press conference held outside
Mogadishu.
Britain believes Islamist militants are completing plans to attack
Kenyan institutions and sites popular with expatriates and tourists.
- Reuters
----[Mailing List for Eritrea Related News ]----
Received on Mon Jan 16 2012 - 21:35:53 EST
