East African
Monday, January 23, 2012
The decision by Kenya to join African Union Mission in Somalia is an
opportunity for the frontline states to harmonise their disparate
interests in Somalia.
Since the collapse of the Siad Barre government in 1991, the
three frontline states, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, have tried to
offer solutions on Somalia individually depending on their national
interests without much success.
Now that the African Union (AU) is playing a
leading role in Somalia, the question is whether Amisom can harmonise
these divergent interests and restore peace.
According to Kenya’s
Defence Minister, Yusuf Haji, there is an ongoing effort to harmonise
these interests with a common objective of a peaceful Somalia and a
secure East African region.
“Both the African Union and the Inter-Governmental
Authority on Development (Igad) are there to ensure the harmonisitation
of the Somalia intervention by various countries. The paramount
interests of every frontline country is to protect their national
security and stabilise Somalia,” he said.
Still, the Somalia question has been interpreted
differently by the three frontline states depending on their narrow
national interests. Kenya and Ethiopia historically have taken the same
position of the fear for the pan-Somalia nationalisms. Both countries
have substantial Somali population.
Kenya and Ethiopia involvement in Somalia has
been driven by the issue of insecurity emanating from Somalia and to
some extent, the lingering fear that a strong united Somalia will revive
the pan-Somalia nationalism.
In recent interview, Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Moses Wetangula,
said that Kenya has been assisting Somalia write a new constitution and
was taking keen interest in the contents since the initial draft had
hinted at pan-Somalia nationalism.
“The OAU Charter and the Constitutive Act of the AU
recognises as sacrosanct, boundaries that were inherited from the
colonial powers at Independence. The writing of the Somalia constitution
should be within the current democratic process in the continent,” he
said.
The pan-Somalia nationalism, advocates that
Somalia, Djibouti, North Eastern Province in Kenya and Ogaden in eastern
Ethiopia be brought together to create a greater Somalia. In Kenya,
this led to the Shifta War from 1963-1967 when then Northern Frontier
District sought to secede.