Where there is war, there are inevitably refugees seeking a safe haven in neighbouring countries. This is currently the case in Somalia as well, though the major fighting seems to have ended for now with the apparent defeat by Ethiopia of the Union of Islamic Courts militiamen. Nevertheless, there are still people fleeing the country. One such destination is Kenya. Kenya, however, borders the south of Somalia, which happens to be the part of the country where the Islamists have been pushed back to.
This has created the tricky situation where both genuine refugees and guerilla fighters are attempting to cross the same border. While shutting down the border is perhaps not the most humane action, it seems to be the most logical and effective option when keeping in mind the long term. Somali President Abdillahi Yusuf was thinking exactly that when he recently held talks with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki at State House, Mombasa, urging Kibaki to prevent fleeing militia from leaving the country.
The two agreed not only to seriously tighten border security, but also to ensure no foreigner is allowed to enter Kenya from Somalia. This was decided after it was found that there are hundreds of foreign fighters near the border, among which an Ethiopian national with a Canadian passport who was the commander of the Ogaden National Liberation Front forces sympathetic to the Islamists. Many Eritreans and some Kenyans are also fighting on behalf of the Islamists, but even militiamen from as far away as Egypt, Chechnya, Afghanistan and Pakistan have been signaled. US marines operating in Lamu have pledged to help the Kenyans guard the border.
By shutting down the Kenyan border, the pursuing Ethiopian forces will find the last remaining UIC fighters all batched up in one area. Due to the superior military power of the Ethiopian forces and the disorientation of the militia, it should be a relatively simple task to round them all up and effectively end any hope they had of staging a counteroffensive. As for the Islamic forces that are already in Kenyan villages, they should be dealt with locally in Kenya and not allowed to re-enter Somalia.
There are two problems left to solve in the Somali conflict: 1. defeating the UIC, 2. building a stable Somalia with an effective central government. By dealing a final blow to the Islamists around Somalia's border with Kenya, one of the two problems will be solved, allowing for complete attention to be on solving the second problem.
This has created the tricky situation where both genuine refugees and guerilla fighters are attempting to cross the same border. While shutting down the border is perhaps not the most humane action, it seems to be the most logical and effective option when keeping in mind the long term. Somali President Abdillahi Yusuf was thinking exactly that when he recently held talks with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki at State House, Mombasa, urging Kibaki to prevent fleeing militia from leaving the country.
The two agreed not only to seriously tighten border security, but also to ensure no foreigner is allowed to enter Kenya from Somalia. This was decided after it was found that there are hundreds of foreign fighters near the border, among which an Ethiopian national with a Canadian passport who was the commander of the Ogaden National Liberation Front forces sympathetic to the Islamists. Many Eritreans and some Kenyans are also fighting on behalf of the Islamists, but even militiamen from as far away as Egypt, Chechnya, Afghanistan and Pakistan have been signaled. US marines operating in Lamu have pledged to help the Kenyans guard the border.
By shutting down the Kenyan border, the pursuing Ethiopian forces will find the last remaining UIC fighters all batched up in one area. Due to the superior military power of the Ethiopian forces and the disorientation of the militia, it should be a relatively simple task to round them all up and effectively end any hope they had of staging a counteroffensive. As for the Islamic forces that are already in Kenyan villages, they should be dealt with locally in Kenya and not allowed to re-enter Somalia.
There are two problems left to solve in the Somali conflict: 1. defeating the UIC, 2. building a stable Somalia with an effective central government. By dealing a final blow to the Islamists around Somalia's border with Kenya, one of the two problems will be solved, allowing for complete attention to be on solving the second problem.
