Somalia: Ex-President Sharif Criticizes Kenya Role in Somalia, Condemns Its
Foreign Minister
19 September 2012
Mogadishu, Somalia - The former president of Somalia Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
criticized the Kenyan Government's role in Somalia and condemned media
comments attributed to Kenyan Foreign Minister Prof. Sam Ongeri, Garowe
Online reports.
Speaking at a press conference in Mogadishu on Tuesday, ex-President Sharif
said the Minister Ongeri's comments were irresponsible.
On Monday, Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation quoted the country's Foreign
Minister Ongeri insinuating that former President Sharif might have been
behind the attempted assassination of Somalia's new President Hassan Sheikh
Mohamud.
Al Shabaab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the Sept. 12 suicide
bombing attack on President Hassan's hotel residence in Mogadishu, while a
Kenyan delegation led by Minister Ongeri was meeting with him.
Daily Nation newspaper broke the story quoting that Minister Ongeri said
before elections former President Sharif lobbied for Kenyan support to
reelect him as President of Somalia.
"Before the elections, Sharif had talked with me for one and half hours,
requesting that Kenya support him to capture the presidency," said Minister
Ongeri, adding that the Kenyan government had rejected the idea and promoted
"free and fair" election for Somali president.
A newcomer in Somali politics, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, won the majority vote
of the new Somali Somali Federal Parliament the night of September 10.
The Kenyan Minister and new Somali President Hassan and many foreign and
Somali dignitaries escaped unharmed following a suicide attempt at
Mogadishu's Hotel Jazeera where the dignitaries were meeting two days after
President won the election.
Although Al Shabaab claimed responsibility of the assassination attempt,
Minister Ongeri raised suspicions that ex-President Sharif had arrived at
the bombing scene minutes later and was not in shock.
Ongeri denies comments
Minister Ongeri told a press conference in Nairobi that he did not make such
remarks and denied comments attributed to him by the Daily Nation. He
claimed that former TFG President Sharif was "remorseful" and came to help
the situation.
Kenya's foreign minister indicated that Sharif will be accorded the
privileges of any "former head of state" visiting Kenya.
A day earlier, the controversial statements were called "careless and
reckless" by Kenyan MP Mohamed Affey who added that the statement by
Minister Ongeri, " is a serious coup to diplomacy," according to Daily
Nation report.
MP Affey, who was part of the Kenyan delegation that survived the bombing
attack, said that Sharif was concerned about the dignitaries' safety and to
comfort the shaken government officials.
Former President Sharif responded to the implications by Minister Ongeri
saying that the Kenya government was not playing a neutral role in the
political process and had tried to eliminate him from the presidential
elections.
"How could Kenya help with my presidential candidacy? I don't need their
money and they are not Somali so they can't vote," said former President
Sharif at the Mogadishu press conference, adding: "I came to help the new
president move to the presidential palace which is my duty."
"I have already shared my concerns with some countries that Kenya is not
being neutral in Somali affairs. Al Shabaab already claimed responsibility
for this bombing so there's no reason to blame me. This shows that the
Kenyan Foreign Minister has deep enmity towards me," said Sharif, adding
that he "condemns" Minister Ongeri's comments.
Diplomatic sources say Sharif had strained relations with Kenya Government
during his term as TFG President, noting Sharif's publicly declared
opposition to Kenyan troop's deployment into Jubba regions of southern
Somalia, but he later retracted his comments.
