NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 31 – Kenya and Somalia now want leaders of the rag tag Al Shabaab militia to be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court (ICC) based at The HagueThis was announced by Prime Ministers Raila Odinga (Kenya) and Abdiweli Mohammed Ali (Somalia) in a communiqué following a meeting in Nairobi on Monday afternoon.Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Richard Onyonka read the joint communiqué that stated that Somalia’sTransitional Federal Government, TFG “will seek ICC assistance in beginning immediate probe into crimes against humanity committed by members of Al Shabaab movement with the aim of seeking indictment assoon as possible.” more Kenya, Somalia invoke ICC on Al Shabaab
Kenya and Somalia have called for more international help to defeat al-Shabab, the al-Qaida-linked militant group which the neighboring countries have described as “a common enemy.”After meeting in Nairobi on Monday, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his Somali counterpart Abdiwelli Mohammed Ali called for more troops to join the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.In a joint statement, they also requested “logistical and financial support” for a planned blockade of the port city of Kismayo, a key al-Shabab stronghold and supply center.The AU mission currently consists of 9,500 troops based in and around the capital, Mogadishu, where they are providing support for the Somali transitional government.Djibouti has pledged another 3,000 troops for the mission.Separately, an international humanitarian group says an airstrike that hit a camp for internally displaced people in southern Somalia has killed five people and wounded more than 40 others.Doctors Without Borders said late Sunday the bombing in the town of Jilib killed mostly women and children.The aid group did not comment on who carried out the strike and called on all parties to respect the rights of civilians.Local officials said the strike targeted an area where al-Shabab militants were distributing food to displaced persons.Kenya has claimed to have bombed militant positions in southern Somalia in recent days.Kenya sent an undisclosed number of troops across the border earlier this month to fight al-Shabab, which it blames for a series of kidnapping of foreigners on Kenyan soil. H/T VOA
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his Somali counterpart Abdiweli Mohamed Ali have both vowed to work together in an effor to put an end to threats posed by Somali terrorist cell, al Shabaab. This announcement comes even as the Islamic insurgents accuse both governments of causing several Somali civilian casualties following aerial attacks on the al-Shabaab stronghold of Jibil by Kenyan military. Kenyan military dismissed the claims of the terrorist group as "propaganda". However, the BBC cited a statement released by international group Medecins San Frontier which claimed that the Sunday attack had hit a camp for displaced people in the area. According to the BBC, MSF-Holland Somalia mission head Gautam Chatterjee confirmed that Kenya's assault on the Shabaab-controlled region had also claimed the lives of a man and woman, while 45 others were wounded shrapnels dispersed during the blasts. In a BBC interview, Kenyan military spokesman Maj Emmanuel Chirchir denied that Kenya's air force had bombed the camp, adding that the "MSF is being used by al-Shabaab [for propaganda purposes]."PM Raila Odinga also raised his voice in support of the Kenyan military's actions. "Our troops are not targeting civilians. We are actually just targeting al Shabaab holdouts, or hideouts. So definitely, we have not targeted any civilians. "It would be most unfortunate, but the information we have is that that is just al Shabaab propaganda," he said in a news conference.Spokesman for the military claimed an al-Shabaab militant had driven a truck laden with explosive into the camp, causing the casualties, according to the BBC. Major Chirchir said the Kenyan fighter jet had attacked a terrorist base near the refugee camp. "We received intelligence that a top al-Shabab leader was to visit a camp in Jilib so we conducted an air raid," he said. Maj Chirchir said "human intelligence" showed that 10 al-Shabab fighters had been killed and 47 wounded.Mr Chatterjee said MSF had evacuated its staff from Jilib, according to reports from the AFP cited by the BBC.However, both Somali and Kenyan government officials are united in their desire to forge ahead with the elimination of the terrorist cell. Kenyan PM said: "There is no daylight between Somalia and Kenya in fighting al Shabaab. They are a threat to the safety and the security of both countries, therefore it's necessary for us to have a common strategy against a common enemy. We should have a unity of purpose, and we should work in tandem until this threat is eliminated from Somalia and from the Horn of Africa."Kenyan assistant minister of Foreign Affairs Richard Onyonka said: "The Transitional Federal Government will seek the ICC assistance in beginning immediate investigations into crimes against humanity committed by individuals within the al Shabaab movement with the aim of seeking their indictments as soon as possible." more Kenya and Somalia Set on Eliminating Al-Shabaab Stronghold
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