Friday, July 15, 2011
thousands of Somalis to neighboring countries'
Kenya on Thursday called for the total eradication of the Somali terror group, Al Shabaab, terming it a threat to regional peace and security.
Kenya’s Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs George Saitoti said Al Shabaab is responsible for mass killings in the Horn of Africa nation and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Somalis to neighboring countries.
"The onslaught against the Al Shabaab by the combined forces of the Transitional Federal Government and AMISOM Forces should be sustained and accorded full support," said Saitoti told African diplomats in Nairobi.
The minister said Somalia remains an enormous challenge to peace and security in this region, saying thousands of refugees have continued to stream into Kenya due to the severe famine and violence in Somalia.
"We therefore call for urgent international humanitarian assistance to save victims of drought and famine.
"Furthermore, as we continue to extend technical and humanitarian support to the people of Somalia, the TFG and AMISOM, have to consolidate their efforts to weaken the Al Shabaab which remains the greatest threat to security in Somalia and the region," he said.
Saitoti said Kenya supports full implementation of the provisions of the Kampala Accord and other transitional tasks within the stipulated roadmap and time frame and called upon the region and the international community to urge the TFG leadership to broaden participation and national reconciliation within and outside Somalia