Kenya may review Eritrea ties over Shabaab
[image: Eritrea ambassador to Kenya Beyene Russom and Foreign Affairs
minister Moses Wetangula at the Ministry's offices in Nairobi November 04,
2011. Mr Russom was summoned over claims that his country is arming Somalia
militia Al-Shabaab. BILLY MUTAI]
Eritrea ambassador to Kenya Beyene Russom and Foreign Affairs minister
Moses Wetangula at the Ministry's offices in Nairobi November 04, 2011. Mr
Russom was summoned over claims that his country is arming Somalia militia
Al-Shabaab. BILLY MUTAI
By WALTER MENYA wmenya_at_ke.nationmedia.com Posted Friday, November 4 2011 at 10:31
Kenya is not ruling out reviewing its relationship with Eritrea after allegations that Asmara was arming the Al Shabaab insurgents in Somalia.
Eritrean envoy to Kenya Beyene Russom was Friday summoned to a closed door meeting with top foreign ministry officials including Foreign minister Moses Wetangula, permanent secretary Thuita Mwangi and Secretary for Political and Diplomatic Affairs Patrick Wamoto.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Mr Wetangula said Kenya was not ruling out “reviewing diplomatic ties” with Eritrea – a term that could loosely translate to severing ties - if the Horn of Africa state fails to give satisfactory explanations.
Kenya along with IGAD and Africa Union, the minister added, would also support enhanced sanctions against Eritrea which has been identified as a destabilising force in the region.
However, Eritrea has chosen to send their foreign minister to Nairobi for a meeting with Mr Wetangula next week in a bid to calm down the rising tensions between the two countries.
“We are open-minded. In a relationship you can never say never to any issue,” Mr Wetangula said at the press briefing in his office. Mr Russom left in a rush and did not attend the press briefing.
“Those (reviewing ties) are always extreme options that any country can take in circumstances that may justify that. As it is now we have not reached that level yet because the ambassador has delivered letters to me from the Eritrean foreign minister wishing to come to Kenya and talk to us.”
“As a country if we get unsatisfactory explanations and answers then we move to level two,” said Mr Wetangula, dropping a hint of the measures is willing to take to deal with Eritrea.
The Kenya Defence Forces are currently in hot pursuit of the Somali terrorist group after a string of kidnappings of foreigners and aid workers within the Kenyan territory.
On Tuesday, three planes landed in Baidoa, an Al Shabaab stronghold with consignments of weapons for the militants with evidence strongly pointing towards Asmara as the origin, a charge Eritrea has vehemently denied.
The allegations that have been forthcoming include supply and delivery of weapons to Al Shabaab and other militant groups in Somalia and possible supply of other materials and general support by Eritrea.
“I have discussed with the ambassador and given him the full details of the allegations and the intelligence we have in our possession. We sought an explanation from him which he provided on behalf of his government. In a nutshell he denied everything as was expected,” said Mr Wetangula.
Speaking to the Nation on phone, Mr Russom said the meeting with the minister was cordial. He also said he had delivered his minister for foreign affairs’ request to meet Kenya officials Monday or Tuesday next week.
“It was a very good and fruitful meeting. My minister will be here next week to address the issues raised next week,” he said.
According to Mr Wetangula, the government has opted for dialogue with Eritrea as the first step with the option of taking other unspecified measures unless they get satisfactory answers to intelligence reports on Asmara’s ties with Al Shabaab.
“It is not the first, neither the second nor the third time allegations about Eritrea’s support to militants have emerged,” the minister said, adding that the security agencies were putting all the intelligence reports together ahead of the Eritrean foreign minister’s visit.
“Our options are all open on every front but we want to have a process that is well-informed and leads us to a direction we desire to achieve the best results for this country,” said Mr Wetangula.
Kenya’s increasingly tough stance towards Eritrea has received support of scholars and political analysts who want to see more action in that direction.
Career diplomat and former Kenyan Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Ochieng Adala described as “sad” associations, real or perceived, between Eritrea and the Somali terrorist group.
“The perception, leave alone proof, that Eritrea is collaborating with al Shabaab, a terrorist organisation whose express aim is to destabilise the entire sub-region, is a sad commentary on Eritrean leadership,” said Ambassador Adala.
President Isayas Aferwerki’s regime in Eritrea is battling a barrage of charges by its IGAD neighbours and the UN over its role as a destabilizing force in the Horn of Africa.
With the UN Security Council considering imposing additional sanctions on Eritrea, the regime is quickly finding itself in isolation as the region turns its back on Asmara over its role in fuelling bloodshed in Somalia.
On October 18, the UN Security Council members began negotiations on a draft resolution seeking to impose additional sanctions on Eritrea. The draft resolution was circulated by Gabon on Friday October14, and is co-sponsored by Nigeria. The draft is also supported by South Africa who is also a temporary member of the Council.
Support for the draft resolution by three African nations in the Council has been seen as crucial to the UN tightening the noose around reclusive Eritrean regime officials.
Debate on additional sanctions followed the UN Security Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, in which the Council accused Eritrea of financially backing Al Shabaab.
The UN report published what it termed “documentary evidence of Eritrean payments to a number of individuals with links to Al Shabaab” through its embassy in Nairobi.
Just days before of the release of the UN report, President Kibaki told his IGAD counterparts at a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to enhance security measures to curb the growing destabilisation activities associated with Eritrea.
It is understood that the draft would condemn Eritrea for its destabilising activities in the region, call for full implementation of the existing sanctions regime against it as established by resolutions 1844 and 1907 and impose additional sanctions targeting the Eritrean government.
The draft would also contain annexes listing Eritrean political leaders who would be subject to the existing travel ban and asset freeze and would, among other things, oblige UN member states to prohibit the transfer of any funds to the Eritrean government or anybody acting on its behalf, as well as any investments in the mining industry in Eritrea or imports of raw materials.
“Claims of Eritrean backing for Al Shabaab are indeed preposterous not only because of Eritrea’s political stance but also because of Al Shabaab’s deep antipathy towards the ‘secular Eritrean state’,” Asmara said in the statement.
On Tuesday, the Kenyan military warned residents of 10 towns, namely, Baidoa, Baadheere, Baydhabo, Dinsur, Afgooye, Bwale, Barawe, Jilib, Kismayu and Afmadow not to go near Al-Shabaab bases because it would strike them to destroy the weapons.
----[Mailing List for Eritrea Related News ]---- Received on Fri Nov 04 2011 - 07:22:38 EDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Fri Nov 04 2011 - 07:22:38 EDT