A Kenyan Defence Forces soldier stands guard at a clinic in Kismayu,
Somalia on February 26, 2013. Somalia has denied ordering the foreign
troops out of the country. FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Africa Review
Friday, May 31, 2013
Somalia has denied ordering Kenya and Ethiopia to withdraw their troops from the country.
State minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir dismissed
the reports that were transmitted by an independent broadcaster in
Mogadishu and quoted by a number of Somali news web sites.
The report also dominated the public discussions
in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, with many people wondering the
consequences of Kenyan and Ethiopian troops leaving Somalia within 48
hours.
At a press conference at Villa Somalia, the State
House in Mogadishu, Mr Abdulkadir rejected the reports as unfounded and
expressed surprise.
“We received today reports falsely propagated by
(a section of) the independent media, saying that Somali President
(Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud) requested neighbouring countries to withdraw
their forces,” stated Mr Abdulkadir.
He added: “We would like to emphasise that such
information is baseless and casts doubts on the credibility of the
concerned media.”
The normally reserved minister underlined that
President Mohamoud maintained amicable relations with both his Kenyan
counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam
Desalegn.
“Somali President met these (Ethiopian and Kenyan) leaders five times over the past six weeks,” disclosed the state minister.
“It demonstrates the depth of the relations between Somalia and its neighbours,” he added.
The minister, who did not name the culpable media
groups, stated that any misinformation could destabilise Somalia and its
neighbours.
Ethiopia and Kenya deployed thousands of troops
that are helping the Somali government in the fight against the Al-Qaeda
linked Al-Shabaab movement.