Kenya will not cut ties with Eritrea over Shabaab
By Lordick Mayabi NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 10- Kenya has no intentions of severing ties with Eritrea over the suspicion of Eritrea funding the Al Shabaab, top government official has said. Deputy Director at Foreign affairs division in
By Lordick Mayabi
NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 10- Kenya has no intentions of severing ties with Eritrea over the suspicion of Eritrea funding the Al Shabaab, top government official has said.
Deputy Director at Foreign affairs division in charge of the Horn of Africa Lindsay Kipteness said that Kenya remains open for dialogue over the issue with their Eritrean counterparts.
He said that the sanctions by the UN Security Council on Eritrea vindicate Kenya’s position that the Eritrea has failed to de-link itself from activities of armed groups in Somalia.
Kipteness said: “The Kenyan government remains open to dialogue with Eritrea; we have not severed relations with Asmara. We still think that Eritrea is important in the stabilisation of Somalia as well as the peace of the region.”
He said that the Eritrea should however drop conditions for coming to meet the president instead to meet his foreign affairs equal
“They (Eritrea) sent a message saying that their foreign minister will come to Kenya on condition that he meets President Kibaki, but obviously that is not his level. We will wait for him to come and meet our Foreign Affair minister,” he emphasised.
The UN Security Council on Monday toughened sanctions against Eritrea which has been accused of plotting terrorist attacks and supporting Somali Islamist rebels.
A resolution, passed with 13 votes in favour, while Russia and China abstained, allows the council to increase the number of individuals and entities that can be hit with a travel ban and assets freeze.
Eritrea has been accused of supporting Al Shabaab Islamist militants in Somalia with finance and weapons. A UN sanctions monitoring group has linked the Asmara government to a bomb plot against an African Union summit in Addis Ababa in January.
The Security Council demanded that Eritrea “cease all direct or indirect efforts to destabilise states, including through financial, military, intelligence and non-military assistance.”
Kipteness further took issue with aid firm Oxfam which has insisted the operation in Somalia was hindering humanitarian efforts.
He urged aid agencies to look out for the long term objectives of the operation in Somalia.
The enemy in Somalia is the Al Shabaab that have even expelled 16 humanitarian agencies including agencies of the United Nations
On the military front the Kenya Defence Forces said that they are wining the war against the Al Shabaab in all the three sectors.
Colonel Cyrus Oguna of the Department of Defence said that the Al Shabaab has incurred more casualties and logistical loses since the operation began.
Oguna said that the Al Shabaab now want to change their name to Somalia Islamic Emirates
so that they can win more support.
“Al Shabaab is completely confused, disorganised and in a desperate attempt to change its name so as to attract sympathisers; but under whatever name or brand they come we will continue to hit and destabilise them until their capacity is degraded,” said Oguna.
He said that the military has learnt that Al Shabaab casualties have filled hospitals in Kisimayu and medical facilities being operated by NGO’s in areas that the Al Shabaab still control.
On Monday forces did strike a foreign fighters camp near Afmadow destroying Al Shabaab personnel and vehicles. Naval forces also sunk a skiff with five occupants in the Indian Ocean.
Oguna warned civilians to keep of structures serving the Al Shabaab after a civilian was killed on Wednesday as the troops struck an armour dump near Bardere.
Col Oguna welcomed the endorsement by parliament for the KDF to re-hat to AMISOM mandate maintaining that in the event the UN Security Council approves the request, the KDF will still be proactive in protecting Kenya.
“As it is now the KDF TFG alliance is focused on its mission; in the vent that we join AMISOM we will be robust in peace enforcement, it will not weaken us. It will also not rob us off the right to self defense, when Kenya feels in secure we will go out and deal with that situation,” he emphasised.
Capital FM News
nebiat33@gmail.com December 10, 2011
Unlike our so called opposition the Kenyans have a brain , and they could differentiate lies from the truth. They just play the role to make happy washington , they do depend for help like the Ethiopians , they can not provide thPress Releas
“Sanctions” against Africa’s fastest growing economy, targeting Eritrea with its projected 5 years of double digit growth rate: Russian newspaper
Asmara , 10 December 2011- The Russian newspaper, Pravda, said that the Security Council resolution of further “sanctions” against Africa’s fastest growing economy, targeting Eritrea with its projected 5 years of double digit growth rate, …should come as no surprise.
As regards the first version of the sanctions against Eritrea, the paper wrote: “The “sanctions” passed against Eritrea on Monday are all bark and no bite, less even than the first batch. It also elaborates that the first version of this latest round of sanctions, (that even the Europeans vetoed) was designed to cripple Eritrea’s emerging mining industry, one of the main drivers of its new found economic engine and block Eritreans abroad from paying their 2% income tax.
Haqi tezareb December 10, 2011
1. Good questions. well done.
I have questions to the opposition in Hawasa, Ethiopia. Some of these questions were already asked here before by others. They are not all mine.
1. what happened to the so called “draft constitution” prepared by Kidan? It was reported by the opposition that it was rejected by 90% of its own members but why is Kidan/ ganta Hawasa trying to sneak it in, instead of throwing it?
2. The Ethiopia based opposition radio broadcasts in Tigrina, Arabic, Kunama. But the Kidan or Ganta Hawasa has rejected broadcasting in Tigre language. Tigre is spoken by 35% of Eritrea. The people in the leadership of Kidan/Ganta Hawasa have never been in Eritrea since 1980. They are foreign in spirit, ideology and culture to Eritrea. Some of these people do not know who they are; some of them think they are more Arab than the Arab.
Case in point is when Salih Gadi who is ethnic Tigraian Jeberti, originaly his parents are from Tembien, claims that his language is Arabic.
Haqi tezareb December 10, 2011
2.
3. Why was Daniel Tewelde and many young Eritreans from Sudan, Europe and North America not allowed to participate in Hawasa? Why was Daniel removed from the Hawasa meeting only few days before the opening day? Daniel was elected by the people, only the people can remove him?
The members of the Commission such as Amha Domeniko, Khelifa, Abdulkhadir … acted like a hungry hyenas. They showed how greedy, selfish and undemocratic they are.
Look how ayte Daniel Tewelde was treated:
http://www.meskerem.net/Commissioners_%20Re%20Daniel.pdf
4. While we are talking about events in Ethiopia, there is this question that repeats quite often. Ethiopia has so many ethnic groups, there is a lot of respect to all its languages and ethnic groups since 1991. Ethiopian students study in their own ethnic languages very proudly and broadcast their languages in radio and some on TV. They will soon open four more TV channels. They need it because they are 90 million people. Eritrea is very lucky to have one for 4 million people.
What is the language of the Amhara Jeberti and the Tigrayan Jeberti in Ethiopia? How can Salih Gadi try to force Arabic to Eritrea? Why is he ashamed of his own language? Should the kunama, Afar or Tigre languages deserve respect in their own homeland, the way Arabic is respected in its homeland in Saudi Arabia?
K. G. Kahsai December 11, 2011
It is funny that still the Gov of Eritrea thinks they will bully other Africans:
Check this part:
He(FM of Kenya) said that the Eritrea should however drop conditions for coming to meet the president instead to meet his foreign affairs equal
“They (Eritrea) sent a message saying that their foreign minister will come to Kenya on condition that he meets President Kibaki, but obviously that is not his level. We will wait for him to come and meet our Foreign Affair minister,” he emphasised.
The stupidity and how imbecile GOE are on diplomacy shows that. An FM meets an FM of another country and if the Head of State wants to see him that could be worked thereafter.
zemen beraki December 11, 2011
All Meskeremites and PFDJ elements can say many nasty things about the congress and the people who made it happen. Anyhow, I challenge them, instead of shouting because the congress is now a success and throwing ugly words like Tembien etc. let them verify the roots of their great leader who they are accustomed to licking his boots.
Haqi tezareb December 11, 2011
Issaias is of tembien origin like Salih Gadi but the dicatator is not ashamed of his Tigraian roots and his Tigrinia language.
Tsahaye December 11, 2011
“congress”, let it be known the names and origins of the so-called “600” participants. We have already seen the elected leadership of the Tadamun and its affiliated coalition and we know who they are: religious extremists, ethnic secessionists, Jeberti extremists who are composed of Eritreans and recent Tigrayan migrants asking for a separate ethnic identity as well as the tragic OOSUB known as “the useful idiots”. If you call that is a success, we will see how far that so-called “success” will allow you to creep next year by this time. Keep belittling yourself if that gives you some consolation.
Tsahaye December 11, 2011
Zemen beraki,
Nothing is worse than insulting your own self. If you are willing to make yourself a trash, others will have no problem putting you on the side walk for pick up by the garbage collecting truck. You have the temerity to tell us that the “congress” which was clearly dominated by the Tadamun coalition and their affiliated religious extremists was a success. If you call that a success, I would not disagree with you as long as you admit it was a success to the aforementioned coalition. If Eritreans are going to agree or disagree with your thinking about the “congress”, let it make known about the names and origins of the so-called “600” participants. We have already seen the elected leadership of the Tadamun and its affiliated coalition, at the “congress”, and we know who they are: religious extremists, ethnic secessionists, Jeberti extremists who are composed of Eritreans and recent Tigrayan migrants asking for a separate ethnic identity as well as the tragic “useful idiots” who think Tigrigna speaking Christians are chauvinists. If you call that is a success, we will see how far you will creep away next year by this time. Keep belittling yourself some consolation