- The Kenyan government has ruled out threats by the Somali radical Islamist group, Al Shabaab, to invade Kenyan territories and introduce the Sharia law.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country has declared its readiness to counter attacks on its boundaries to protect its people.
The threats by the group comes after senior Kenyan officials jetted into Somalia for a week-long training for civil servants to enhancing good relations with neighbouring states and regional cooperation.
The Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister, Richard Onyonka, warned that Kenya is a sovereign country which its boundaries should be respected. “We have the capacity and ability to stave off any incursions from anybody else,” he said.
Mr Onyonka said that the threats would not deter Kenya from ensuring that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Somalia is successful in achieving its agenda.
He further urged the militia and the transitional government to consider dialogue as a means of resolving their disputes for long lasting peace for the troubled Horn of Africa state. “We hope the group will resolve conflict diplomatically; going to war will not help anyone,” he told local news reports.
Somalia which has not had an effective national government since 1991 when militias ousted the then dictator Siad Barre, has seen more attacks on government forces and unarmed civilians.
“The TFG is the only way out and we will not accept any other way. It is in the best interest to ensure peace and security of the Somalia,” said Mr Onyonka.
The recent election of president Sharif Sheik Ahmed has sparked a row with government forces and radical al Shabab waging attack on government demanding the re-establishment of the very strict Shariah court in the Muslim dominated Horn of Africa state.
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