by Manuel Odeny
Monday, April 12, 2010
The recent report by the UN Monitoring Group on Somali (
The EastAfrican, March 29-April 4) linking the Kenyan government to the Somali crisis should set off alarm bells not only in Kenya but in the region at large.
That Kenya agreed to train 2,500 Kenyan and Somali youths for the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) shows how deeply involved the country is in the conflict.
In addition, Kenya, through corrupt government officials, allows illegal immigrants in the country and aids their connection to Europe through visa fraud rackets.
Cross-border raids between the two countries have been reported with elders from both sides trying to reach consensus.
This clearly shows the minimum control the governments have of the volatile border.
Most worrying is that a good proportion of Al-Shabaab fighters who are linked to global terrorist network Al-Qaeda, are Kenyans.
Once skilled in guerrilla warfare, they will return to the country heightening instability in the already volatile region.
Look at Charles Taylor’s 1989 rebellion led by his National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL).
Backed by Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivore among others, the rebellion, whose fighters were trained by Libya, produced hardened guerrillas who caused unrest around the region.
It is the same thing in Kenya.
Early in the year, demonstrators in Al-Shabaab attire took to the streets in Nairobi demanding the release of controversial Jamaican Islamic cleric Abdul Al-Faisal, leading to massive losses in property and several injuries.
The Kenyan government should reassure citizens of their “neutral” stand on the Somali crisis to foster peace not only in the country but the wider East African region at large.