Regional conflicts haunt Kenya
<
http://mg.co.za/author/juma-kwayera> 29 Jun 2012 08:46 - Juma Kwayera
Officials warn that Kenya is being punished for its political and military
interventions in the region, writes Juma Kwayera.
Kenyan authorities are investigating allegations that the Mombasa Republican
Council is receiving support from Sudan and some member states of the Arab
League, claims Khartoum vehemently denies.
Perturbed by the militancy of a group that wants to declare independence for
the coastal region around Mombasa, Kenyan authorities are said to be
reviewing their relations with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at a time
when Kenya is becoming increasingly entangled in regional conflicts, which
could threaten its stability.
In response to the allegations, the Sudanese ambassador to Kenya, Kamal
Ismail Saeed, said Nairobi had not raised the matter with his government.
"We are not aware of any official authorities accusing Sudan of being behind
the Mombasa Republican Council; it has never brought to our attention that
the concerned Kenyan authorities have any suspicion that the Sudan
government is funding the council."
Concerns about the involvement of foreign powers in the outlawed separatist
group, which has become increasingly bold in its push for secession from
Kenya because of "historical injustices", were raised during a recent
national peace conference in Mombasa.
The director general of the National Security and Intelligence Service,
Michael Gichangi, stunned the conference - at which President Mwai Kibaki
and Prime Minister Raila Odinga were present - by openly accusing unnamed
foreign powers of interfering with Kenya's territorial integrity.
He would not tell journalists who Kenya's external aggressors were. But
Somalia, where Kenya is fighting al-Shabab insurgents, has been the main
source of terrorist threats in the East African region. Al-Shabab foreign
trainers come from diverse countries such as Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
Calls for secession
Before the conference, in a state of the nation address in Parliament,
Kibaki warned the separatist group that Kenya was a unitary state and would
not cede territory to it or anyone else. "Kenya is one nation and any
attempts or calls for secession should be rejected and shall not be
tolerated. Specifically, the coast region has been part of, is part of and
will remain part of Kenya," the president said on April 24.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior intelligence officer in the
political ideology division of the security service said the executive had
been briefed about a "destabilisation agenda" by some oil-producing
countries in the Middle East.
He linked it to a recent three-nation agreement to build a road and
high-speed railway link, a $22.5-billion investment known as the Lamu port,
South Sudan, Ethiopia transport and development corridor. When complete, the
development corridor will divert transport business, a major source of
revenue, from Port Sudan to Lamu.
Furthermore, the source said, some Arab League nations sympathetic to
al-Qaeda were financing the insurgency in Kenya and aiding Khartoum, which
was retaliating
for Kenya's role in the secession of South Sudan from the north.
A Kenyan high court ruling that the Sudanese president must be arrested if
he sets foot in Kenya almost led to the severance of diplomatic relations
between the two countries last year.
Appeal
Although Nairobi moved quickly to limit the damage caused by the ruling,
which was upheld after an appeal by the state, Khartoum has not forgiven the
Kenyan government. Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court, to
which Kenya is a signatory, to stand trial for crimes against humanity in
the western province of Darfur.
Saeed said: "From a political point of view, Sudan entertains good
diplomatic relations with Kenya and there is no sense or logic to damage
such relations. Sudan believes in the territorial integrity of the African
countries and usually desists from meddling in the internal affairs of its
neighbours."
The intelligence source linked growing separatist threats to the broader
unrest sweeping the East African coast. The forces behind the groups, he
said, were also behind the unrest in Tanzania's Indian Ocean archipelago of
Zanzibar, where the Association for Islamic Mobilisation and Propagation
wants the secession of the islands of Unguja and Pemba from mainland
Tanzania.
Since the beginning of April the association has been involved in violent
demonstrations for the autonomy of the islands.
The Mombasa Republican Council, which shares the Islamist ideology of the
al-Qaeda-financed Somali insurgents, al-Shabab, wants secession based on the
16km coastal strip that was governed by the sultan of Zanzibar from 1895 to
1920.
Senior government officials have shied away from addressing these sensitive
matters publicly. Foreign affairs permanent secretary Thuita Mwangi said he
would "rather say nothing", although he added that Sudan, before the signing
of the comprehensive peace agreement with the South, had toyed with the idea
of establishing a consulate in Mombasa.
Catch-22
Saeed confirmed that his government had planned to do that, but shelved it
because of budgetary constraints. "If the financial [situation improves], we
may contact the competent authorities to reconsider the case. Mombasa, being
the main port in the region, will help to promote Sudan's exports such as
sugar, cement and gas to the region. A consulate in Mombasa will facilitate
Kenyan tea exports to Sudan. Kenyan tea exports to Sudan are worth more than
$100-million," he said.
Kenyan government officials ducked questions on the issue, but a member of
the parliamentary committee on defence and foreign relations, George
Nyamweya, said the committee was aware of the allegations, which was why his
United Democratic Forum party wanted to sponsor a motion in Parliament to
form a select committee to have -discussions with the separatist group
before the situation spiralled out of control.
"The government is in a catch-22 situation and may not be willing to
publicly debate because the Mombasa Republican Council is an outlawed group.
But a select committee can get to the root cause of the growing unrest,"
Nyamweya said.
He added that one of his party's concerns was that the "real faces" behind
the movement spoke through proxies. "The people who claim to represent the
Mombasa Republican Council do not have the resources to wage a secession
campaign. The powerful forces behind the group have so far been invisible,"
he said.
The chairperson of the committee, Adan Keynan, has not commented on the
matter.
Reports of Khartoum's involvement were first leaked when the Kenya Defence
Forces, in Somalia since October last year, prepared for a final push to
oust al-Shabab from Kismayu port. But the Sudanese ambassador rubbished the
accusation and said: "Sudan believes in co-operation between African
countries rather than conflict. We extend to fellow neighbouring African
countries a hand of construction, not destruction. We believe
intra-conflicts should be solved through negotiations, not subversion."
More Coverage
*
<
http://mg.co.za/article/2012-06-23-rkes-asked-to-vacate-mombasa-amidst-fear
s-of-attacks> US embassy workers asked to vacate Mombasa
* Kenya walks election tightrope
<
http://mg.co.za/article/2012-06-21-s-election-tightrope>
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Received on Fri Jun 29 2012 - 15:13:25 EDT
