The Kenyan government has warned that the activities of foreign powers seeking to undermine the government in Mogadishu are a threat to regional security.
In what appears to be renewed efforts to support the administration of President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo”, Kenya last week took an indirect jab at countries engaged in military or trade deals with Somaliland and Puntland, arguing such agreements could weaken the government in Somalia.
It was Kenya’s first direct comment on a raging battle between Gulf powers, led by the United Arab Emirates, which have engaged in a series of manoeuvres aimed at weakening the Farmajo administration.
PEACE
Officials who spoke to the Sunday Nation say Kenya wants international partners to focus on direct engagement with Mogadishu and support the role of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) in its efforts to train Somalia’s security forces.
The first hint of the message was delivered last week when President Uhuru Kenyatta suggested some foreign entities were damaging the foundation Amisom had laid in Somalia.
“The region is not at peace. Somalia remains troubled, largely by foreign agents who weaken its government, who divide its people, and who threaten to reverse the gains we have so painfully won under Amisom,” he said in his State of the Nation address on Wednesday.