NAIROBI (SD) – Kenya will not accept to be drawn into Somalia’s internal politics, Kenya government spokesperson said Thursday.

In a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya government Spokesman Cyrus Oguna said Somalia’s current administration intends to redirect the attention of the Somali people away from real issues on the ground.

“As a country, we want to state very clearly, that we will not accept to be drawn into internal politics of Somalia,” Oguna said. “We are calling on Somali leadership to desist from dragging Kenya into their domestic issues.”

The spokesperson urged Somalia’s political stakeholders to create an environment that will facilitate the resolution of the conflict through dialogue in their country.

Belet-Hawa fighting

Mr. Oguna has reiterated that the government has never involved in the conflict near Kenya-Somalia border saying the events being witnessed around Mandera town have their genesis on domestic political activities in Somalia.

“This is critical in fostering a united front in countering militants who have, for a long time, destabilised peace and security in Somalia and the region,” he said. “Allegations by Somalia that Kenya is sponsoring and harbouring militia with the objective of destabilizing Somalia are not based on any merit. “

He said the recurrent confrontations between these forces not only cause fear and panic amongst Kenyan people at the border town of Mandera but also do lead to the displacement of civilians from Gedo region in Somalia.

IGAD report

Oguna welcomed the recently released IGAD report which largely cleared Kenya from accusations by Somalia.

Noting that the report established that the accusations levelled against Kenya by Somalia were ‘false, malicious, and with no weight to justify severing diplomatic relations,’

Somali federal government rebuked findings of a report from IGAD team sent to the border between Somalia and Kenya, accusing the eight-member team appointed by Djibouti president who is the current chair of the regional bloc IGAD of turning down request to visit the border on Somalia’s side.

Last Monday, the team from IGAD released its report which rubbished the claims by Somalia that Kenya interfered with its internal affairs and arming militia to destabilise the Horn of Africa nation.