MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia has rejected the findings of a Djibouti-led fact finding mission on simmering border tensions with neighboring Kenya, a few days after Somalia accused the government of Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta of sending its forces and Somali rebels to attack the town of Balad-hawo.
Somali Information Minister Osman Abokor Dube criticized the findings of an IGAD fact-finding mission – which was deployed last month – on the border dispute between the governments of Somalia and Kenya.
“They returned to Kenya twice and turned down requests to visit Balad-hawo [on the Somalia side of the border],” Somali Information Minister Osman Abokor Dube said.
The Minister described the report as “unfair, baseless and biased”, saying it relied on one side. He noted that the timing of its publication on January 25, the same day “Kenya and its puppets” launched an attack on Balad-hawo was a testament of its partiality.
The report by IGAD’s fact-finding team said Kenya denied Somalia’s allegations on violating its airspace, arming rebel militias inside Mandera and recognizing Jubaland region. The team added that Kenya’s chief of staff of the armed forces offered to provide the mission with all means to travel within Kenya to “ascertain the inaccuracy of the report” provided by Somalia’s government.
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