After
Kenyan Navy
Shells
Somalia,
Lamamra Says
Kenya IS Part
of AMISOM
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 26
-- For weeks
as the Kenyan
Navy has
shelled the
Somali town of
Kismayo,
resulting even
back in mid
August in the
death of
civilians,
Inner City
Press has
asked the UN
what
safeguards
are in place.
The
answer,
belatedly from
the UN
Spokesperson's
Office and
then from
UK's
Ambassador
Mark Lyall
Grant, was
that the
AMISON mission
"does
not have a
naval
component,"
and that
Kenya's navy
is not part
of AMISOM.
Earlier
in
the week, this
and a question
about Kenya's
ground forces
killing
six civilians
outside
Kismayo were
referred by
the UN
Spokesperson
to
envoy
Augustine
Mahiga's press
conference
later that
day. But
Mahiga
canceled that
press
conference.
Finally
on
Wednesday
Mahiga
appeared at a
stakeout after
a mini-summit
on
Somalia, along
with UN top
politico
Jeffrey
Feltman,
Abdiweli
Mohamed
Ali, Prime
Minister of
Somalia, and
Ramtane
Lamamra,
African Union
Commissioner
for Peace and
Security.
Inner City
Press posed
the
question,
explicitly
about the
shelling by
Kenya's Navy.
The
AU's Lamamra
insisted that
"Kenya is part
of AMISOM."
But
again -- not
the Navy,
which was
asked about.
On land forces
killing
civilians,
Abdiweli
Mohamed Ali to
his credit
said he had
spoken
with the
Kenyan defense
forces.
He also told
Inner City
Press that
Puntland is
part of the
process, and
he hopes to
convince
Somaliland
to join. It
was not
possible to
ask Lamamra a
follow up on
this, at
least not on
Wednesday
evening. Watch
this site.
, 
