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Story by WAHOME THUKU
06 January 2007
Five Somali MPs were yesterday dragged from their hotel rooms in Nairobi and placed in custody as Kenya continued its hard line against the Islamist militias. The MPs were interrogated by immigration officials about their possible links with extremists.
The arrests came as the world moved to create order in the war-torn country when an international force to restore peace was proposed in Nairobi. The international initiative to deploy foreign troops on the war-shattered country was proposed after a five-hour closed-door meeting that brought together representatives from three continents.
Those represented included the United States, the European Union and Africa through the Inter-Governemental Authority on Development (Igad).
But as the diplomats met in Nairobi, the Al- Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden told Islamists in Somalia to confront the Ethiopian Army which drove them out of Mogadishu this week. Those arrested in Nairobi were in a list of 26 wanted Somalis who were being hunted by police and immigration officials in an operation that was extended to other areas within the city.
The morning incident that caught many by surprise was conducted by the Immigration department backed by police. Some of those arrested were taken to the Immigration offices at Nyayo House where they were interrogated.
However, as the Government mounted the crackdown, members of the Muslim community held a Press conference at Jamia Mosque in Nairobi and asked the State to allow genuine Somali refugees fleeing the conflict in their country to enter Kenya unconditionally.
Soon after the arrests, Immigration assistant minister Anania Mwaboza said the Government believed the arrested Somalis had information that could lead to the arrest of the Islamists.
The Nairobi diplomats’ meeting was held under the auspices of the International Somalia Contract Group. It called for urgent funding of the security intervention under a United Nations Security Council resolution.
But Foreign Affairs minister Raphael Tuju, who chaired the meeting, said Kenya would not be sending troops to Somalia. Mr Tuju, who represented Kenya as the Igad chairman, said he was optimistic that the building up of the stabilisation force from other regional countries would be successful.
During the meeting, the US government pledged to provide $14 million (about Sh966 million) for peace keeping and another $10 million (Sh690 million) for development and reconstruction of Somalia.
Give food aid
It also announced it would give $11.5 million in food aid through the World Food Programme and $4 million in other forms of assistance to Somalia.
The contract group welcomed Uganda’s offer to deploy security forces in Somalia.
The meeting was attended by the US assistant secretary of State for African Affairs, Dr Jendayi Frazer, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf and diplomats based in Nairobi. The meeting was called to co-ordinate international efforts to foster stability, security and reconciliation in Somalia.
In a statement read at a media briefing by Mr Tuju, the group said that for international support to be effective, it would be essential that a process of political dialogue involving clan representatives, religious, business community, civil society, women’s and other groups who reject violence and extremism be established immediately.
“The move of Transitional Federal institutions to Mogadishu and the establishment of a representative local administration in the capital will be important milestones,” they stated.