Somali President Opposes Kenyan Invasion

Kenya Insists Somalis Approved of Offensive

When Kenyan forces invaded southern Somalia last week, the self-proclaimed Somali government offered a tepid statement of disapproval. Today, however, Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was more straightforward, saying his government is opposed to the Kenyan invasion.

The statement comes as something of a surprise, as their African Union allies have embraced the invasion and joined in the action of attacking southern towns, with the help of US drones and French warships.

It is further surprising because the Kenyan government has maintained that the Somalis “approved” of the invasion before it ever happened. There has so far been no attempt by either Somali or Kenyan diplomats to publicly reconcile the claims.

Of course ultimately the Somali “government’s” position is probably moot, because they’ve got no control over the southern region and couldn’t even theoretically stand in the way of the invasion in any serious way, particularly with Kenya’s attack being supported by the US and France.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.