Posted Sunday, November 27 2011 at 17:54
*NAIROBI,* Just days after Asmara called for reprimand against Kenya for associating her with Somali rebel group, Kenya has filed a case before the UN Security Council's sanctions committee calling for investigations into Eritrea's alleged support to the al Shabaab.
Kenya's UN Permanent Representative Macharia Kamau filed the case days after the Eritrean foreign minister Osman Saleh wrote to the Council, calling for independent investigations into Kenya's accusations that it was arming the Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Eritrea is seeking to have Kenya publicly reprimanded for "serious and harmful accusations," including claims that Asmara has recently supplied planeloads of arms to the Al-Shabaab militants inside Somalia.
"Our ambassador in New York has also filed a case before the Security
Council's Sanctions Committee to undertake investigations on what we
believe Eritrea is doing in Somalia," Kenyan foreign ministry's spokesman
Lindsay Kiptiness told journalists on Saturday.
The envoy provided the Council with the information it has regarding recent arms airlifts into the airport in Baidoa, 256 km north of Mogadishu.
Kiptiness said Kenya's reaction was based on the fact that the state of Eritrea had made a similar complaint accusing Kenya of defaming the country with the accusations that the arms originating from a third country were passed to the rebels.
Ethiopia's foreign ministry said Eritrea's request to the Security Council was a "trick" to try to deflect international pressure that Asmara was facing as a result of her ties with armed groups operating inside Somalia and a ploy to divide the region.
East African leaders who met under the umbrella of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Nov. 25 in Addis Ababa, to discuss the ongoing Kenyan military operation in Somalia, also called for sanctions against Eritrea.
"Eritrea in supporting bad elements or Al Qaeda elements. Eritrea must come
clean on her historical ties with the Al-Shabaab elements. Based on the
findings of the UN Monitoring report, recognized internationally,"
Kiptiness said.
Eritrea claimed in a letter to the Security Council that Kenya was hurting Eritrea's image with alacrity. Asmara wants Kenya to be publicly condemned and asked to apologise.
"We have the highest level of political support from the international
community," Kiptiness said of efforts to win support for the military
operation against the Al-Shabaab.
Kenya and Ethiopia insist that there could be diplomatic thawing of relations with Eritrea. The two countries insist Eritrea can escape the tightening of the Security Council sanctions if she comes clean about all of its destabilization activities.
"Eritrea must clearly and publicly commit herself to immediately stop all
of these activities and present a credible plan and timeline to implement
this change in policy," Ethiopia's foreign ministry insisted on Friday.
Eritrea's Ambassador to Kenya Beyane Russom has been rebutting the Kenyan accusations and insists these are lies made by her foes, Ethiopia.
"We have never armed any group in Somalia. We want peace and stability in
Somalia," Beyane said.
Beyane claims Ethiopia's operations in Somalia in the past were responsible for the revival of dormant terrorist groups in Somalia.
"It is difficult to know what to make of these allegations but it certainly
reflects muddled thinking by the official making the statement," Ethiopian
foreign ministry said in its weekly diplomat briefing on events in the Horn
of Africa.
"It is a clear indication of the level of desperation Eritrea has reached
in her efforts to shift the blame to others. It seems like an attempt to
drive a wedge between IGAD members who are collectively calling on the
international community to tighten sanctions," Ethiopian officials insist.
Ethiopia played down the Eritrean request for investigation into the accusations.
"A claim can only be considered as an act of defamation if it is true," the
Ethiopian Ministry said in the diplomatic briefing of Nov.25.
"The aim appears to be another way of dividing the supporters of sanctions
and some possibility to avoid their tightening. Given the unanimity of the
IGAD over the sanctions, it seems rather naive to think that any such
strategy might work."
While the diplomatic battle continues between the respective countries neighboring Somalia, Eritrea is being called upon to take radical measures, including supporting the military operation against the Al-Shabaab to show a sign of good faith.
Meanwhile, Kenya will contribute troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on condition the mandate is changed to reflect the situation on the ground, which means power to fight off the Al-Shabaab.
"We would be submitting the request to the Security Council and to the A.U.
We will also request support for AMISOM and the Transitional Federal
Government (TFG) in any way and to ensure that normalcy returns to
Somalia," Kiptiness said.
Kenya also plans to expand the diplomatic offensive to gain support for the operation in Somalia during multilateral meetings taking place globally and ensure their final communiqués reflect the need for stability in Somalia.
"We are also looking for moral support to Arab states supporting TFG,
especially Turkey," Kiptiness said. *(Xinhua)*
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