File Photo/Somali Times
A statement from the foreign ministry called on the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to disband a fact-finding mission previously tasked with investigating alleged Kenyan interference in Somalia.
Somalia also said the commission had refused to visit Beled Hawo, along with a delegation of ministers, following the border clashes on the 25th of this month. The refusal, Somalia said, encouraged Kenya to launch another offensive against Somali forces in support of Jubaland Security Minister Abdirashid Janan.
The statement said the commission’s report seriously undermines Djibouti’s neutrality and status as a trusted and neutral partner.
The Federal Government of Somalia has called on the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to repeal a report submitted by the Fact-Finding Commission on its border with Kenya, saying the report has had a significant impact on Kenya.
A statement from Somalia’s foreign ministry highlighted several indications that the Djiboutian commission was biased towards Kenya, according to Somalia.
Among other things, the ministry said that since the commission began its work on January 9th, it has visited Kenya several times in a row, while visiting Somalia only briefly.
“The commission also acknowledged in its report that it had been flown in by Kenyan military helicopters, as the commission was conducting a fact-finding mission with Kenyan troops patrolling the border. This is an acknowledgment of the commission’s bias, and undermines the credibility as well as the impartiality of the Djiboutian government, which is also detrimental to IGAD,” the statement said.