As
Kenya Navy
Shells
Somalia, UN
Last Whispered
Concern 3
Weeks Ago,
Mahiga Winks?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 7 --
On Somalia,
does the UN
whisper one
thing but
means another?
Three times
Inner City
Press
has asked the
UN if its
envoy
Augustine
Mahiga has
anything to
say about the
shelling of
Kismayo by the
Kenyan Navy,
which in mid
August killed
at least three
civilians but
has continued
since.
UN
spokesman
Martin
Nesirky, the
second time
Inner City
Press asked,
said that the
AMISOM mission
has no naval
component. But
Kenya's
military has
confirmed it
is their ship.
Inner City
Press on
September
6 asked if the
UN is just
looking the
other way:
Inner
City Press:
the Kenyan
army has said
'that is our
ship.' So
basically you
have shelling
by one country
of another in
support of a
UN-supported
peacekeeping
mission, but
with everyone
winking, like
this is not
ours, it’s not
related to us.
If it is not
authorized
by AMISOM, is
it in contrary
to law? Is
there some,
since
civilians
have been
reportedly
killed by some
of the
shelling, is
there any UN
response to it
at all?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well, as I
said, Matthew,
we have been
checking, and
as
soon as I have
something, I
will let you
know, okay?
But I assure
you that we
have been
checking and
asking.
The
next day,
Nesirky read
out a three
week old
statement not
by Mahiga
but by the
humanitarian
coordinator
for Somalia,
Mark Bowden.
It
seems clear
that Kenya has
not listened
to Bowden;
perhaps it was
never meant
to.
Meanwhile
the
UN's lead
envoy
Augustine
Mahiga did
speak out on
September 6 --
but only in an
open letter
trying to tell
Somali
parliamentarians
how
to vote.
Mahiga,
for
the perceived
success of his
mission, would
like Al Shabab
driven
out of
Kismayo,
apparently be
any means
necessary. So
his underling
whispers the
UN's concern,
with the
Kenyan Navy
ignores and
keeps on
shelling. And
Mahiga speaks
only on other
topics.
Does
the UN
whisper
one thing but
means another?
It sure seems
like it. Watch
this
site.
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