Wednesday, June 24, 2009
He said the insurgency was an internal matter that the country’s leadership and the international community had to deal with.
Safe haven
Expressing confidence that Kenya could deal with any security threats from extremist group Al-Shabaab, Prof Saitoti said the government had deployed additional military personnel to guard the country’s border with the volatile neighbour.
He said this would forestall criminal groups that were likely to take advantage of the violence in Somalia to enter the country in the guise of refugees.
Prof Saitoti said Kenya would not abandon its international obligation of providing a safe haven for refugees fleeing from the war-torn country. “We already have numerous Somali refugees in the country and we will continue to accommodate more,” he said.
The Al-Qaeda allied extremist group Al-Shabaab has been waging a war against the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia, resulting in the deaths of hundreds since May.
The extremist group, which has territorial ambitions against Kenya, has also warned the country to withdraw its troops along the volatile border.
Prof Saitoti, who was speaking in Nyeri town before a meeting with the provincial administration from Central Province, said the security situation in Somalia was serious but the government would not be cowed by threats from Al-Shabaab to compromise on its security.
Source: Daily Nation, June 24, 2009