So for those of you who don't know, Kenya is at war; they broke the news over Twitter just a few weeks ago. Locals have been inundated with newspaper stories of the developments made each day in the military's campaign to take down Al Shabaab's stronghold on various Somali towns. I have been keeping up with the local news here but to gain a more international and less potentially biased perspective, I also monitor Al Jazeera's news updates as I have found they provide the most reliable coverage on issues in Africa over other news stations.
So my question is, what do you think of Kenya's invasion of Somalia, a sovereign nation not backing the attacks on Kenya or supporting the terrorist group involved? I have had several discussions with various people about this topic and have received mixed responses. Some argue that because Somalia is a sovereign state Kenya does not have the right to saunter in there to attack Al Shabaab. Others maintain that war sucks, but that's how it goes. Should Kenya have sent Al Shabaab an engraved invitation to parlay with the Kenyan military just over the Somali border in Kenya?
Conflicting reports have said that Somali invited Kenya or at least agreed to allow their military to join in the fight against Al Shabaab, but Transitional Federal Government (TFG) president, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, denies the agreement. In a carefully worded statement presented shortly after Kenya's invasion, Ahmed pretty much said that Kenya was there against the TFG's wishes but that they should respect that fact that they were both fighting a common enemy. Another speech by Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli initially backed the Kenyan's incursion and sparked speculation of a rift between the PM and president, something that could only strengthen the rebel fighters, but apparently they've now gotten on the same page as Abdiweli has been quoted as saying, "We do not have an agreement with Kenya. We understood that we need to defend against the militants but and there is no proof saying we agreed with Kenya." However, other MPs and the pro-government militias continue to support Kenya's efforts.
Multiple African countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania have sent troops as part of the African United Mission to Somalia (ANISOM) effort to combat the growing strength of the Islamic Courts Union, now Al Shabaab, under the UN Security Council's authorization of the African Union's mission. So why now is the head of the Transitional Federal Government opposed to help from their neighbors who are also under attack by the extremist faction causing their country so many problems? Some believe that the president does not want to be seen as supporting Kenya because the tribal leaders he so desperately needs the support of would not approve of what could be perceived as an occupying power.
It's true the laws of war have been changed over the years, the US president can no longer sponsor never ending wars without Congressional support and former President George W. Bush set a precedent of declaring war publicly prior to an invasion or attack with his speech announcing the US war on terror. Despite the confusion over whether Kenya did or did not receive diplomatic backing from the TFG before their incursion into Somalia, it seems clear they did announce their intentions in advance in accordance with the new standards of war. "George Saitoti, Kenya's interior security minister, held a press conference on Saturday (October 15, 2011) and promised Kenyan forces would attack al-Shabab 'wherever they will be.'"
So what is your opinion on this debate? Even if you were unaware of Kenya's controversial invasion, do you agree or disagree with the government's incursion into a sovereign state that has asked for help to fight terrorist cells within their country in the past? Does Kenya have the right to pursue a group that they believe to be actively attacking Kenyans and expatriates in Kenya in another country? Even if you don't believe that the early attacks were planned by Al Shabaab and they should not be held responsible for attacks carried out by lone individuals or sympathizers, do you think that now Al Shabaab has delivered a threat against the Kenyan government to retreat or risk attacks within Kenya that Kenya has the right to respond accordingly?
So my question is, what do you think of Kenya's invasion of Somalia, a sovereign nation not backing the attacks on Kenya or supporting the terrorist group involved? I have had several discussions with various people about this topic and have received mixed responses. Some argue that because Somalia is a sovereign state Kenya does not have the right to saunter in there to attack Al Shabaab. Others maintain that war sucks, but that's how it goes. Should Kenya have sent Al Shabaab an engraved invitation to parlay with the Kenyan military just over the Somali border in Kenya?
Conflicting reports have said that Somali invited Kenya or at least agreed to allow their military to join in the fight against Al Shabaab, but Transitional Federal Government (TFG) president, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, denies the agreement. In a carefully worded statement presented shortly after Kenya's invasion, Ahmed pretty much said that Kenya was there against the TFG's wishes but that they should respect that fact that they were both fighting a common enemy. Another speech by Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli initially backed the Kenyan's incursion and sparked speculation of a rift between the PM and president, something that could only strengthen the rebel fighters, but apparently they've now gotten on the same page as Abdiweli has been quoted as saying, "We do not have an agreement with Kenya. We understood that we need to defend against the militants but and there is no proof saying we agreed with Kenya." However, other MPs and the pro-government militias continue to support Kenya's efforts.
Multiple African countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania have sent troops as part of the African United Mission to Somalia (ANISOM) effort to combat the growing strength of the Islamic Courts Union, now Al Shabaab, under the UN Security Council's authorization of the African Union's mission. So why now is the head of the Transitional Federal Government opposed to help from their neighbors who are also under attack by the extremist faction causing their country so many problems? Some believe that the president does not want to be seen as supporting Kenya because the tribal leaders he so desperately needs the support of would not approve of what could be perceived as an occupying power.
It's true the laws of war have been changed over the years, the US president can no longer sponsor never ending wars without Congressional support and former President George W. Bush set a precedent of declaring war publicly prior to an invasion or attack with his speech announcing the US war on terror. Despite the confusion over whether Kenya did or did not receive diplomatic backing from the TFG before their incursion into Somalia, it seems clear they did announce their intentions in advance in accordance with the new standards of war. "George Saitoti, Kenya's interior security minister, held a press conference on Saturday (October 15, 2011) and promised Kenyan forces would attack al-Shabab 'wherever they will be.'"
So what is your opinion on this debate? Even if you were unaware of Kenya's controversial invasion, do you agree or disagree with the government's incursion into a sovereign state that has asked for help to fight terrorist cells within their country in the past? Does Kenya have the right to pursue a group that they believe to be actively attacking Kenyans and expatriates in Kenya in another country? Even if you don't believe that the early attacks were planned by Al Shabaab and they should not be held responsible for attacks carried out by lone individuals or sympathizers, do you think that now Al Shabaab has delivered a threat against the Kenyan government to retreat or risk attacks within Kenya that Kenya has the right to respond accordingly?
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