Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
13 December 2011
analysis
Nairobi — Kenya’s geopolitical strategy in the region appeared headed for a major setback last week as it faced diplomatic rows with Sudan and Eritrea.
With the two-week ultimatum given by Khartoum edging closer and the UN tightening sanctions against Asmara over the latter’s support for Al Shabaab, there is a growing feeling that Kenya needs to rethink its foreign policy.
The Kenya government’s reaction to strong protests by Sudan following a court ruling ordering the arrest of President Omar al-Bashir if he sets foot in Kenya, has revealed major flaws in foreign policy.
According to the East African, Attorney-General Githu Muigai has appealed against the ruling, but an adjudication is unlikely to come before the expiry of the two-week ultimatum, raising the prospect that Sudan could sever relations with Kenya.
Kenya appears not to have been fully satisfied with the additional sanctions that the United Nations Security Council imposed on Eritrea. The draft resolution received 13 votes in favour, none against and two abstentions from China and Russia.
Kenya in November accused Eritrea of flying two planeloads of arms to Al Shabaab-held positions in Somalia, a charge that Asmara vigorously denied. Kenya then hinted it might review diplomatic ties with Eritrea if it turned out the Red sea country was arming the Al Qaeda-linked Shabaab militants who are currently fighting Kenyan forces in the south of Somalia.
On the other hand, Eritrean government officials hinted that Kenya is being influenced by the propaganda of their archenemy Ethiopia, with whom they fought a two-year war over the disputed border region of Badme.
President Bashir gave Kenya two weeks to resolve the situation in his favour or face punitive measures, which will include cutting trade and diplomatic ties and banning planes leaving or bound for Kenya from over-flying Sudanese airspace.
Other measures include throwing out about 1,500 Kenyans working in Sudan.
Since the issuance of his arrest warrant, Sudan’s president has visited Chad, Kenya, Djibouti and Malawi -all members of the ICC.
In October 2011, Malawi also came under fire from the international community and rights groups when it hosted President Bashir. In a statement to the ICC, Malawi said that “as a member of the African Union, (it) fully aligns itself with the position adopted by the African Union.”
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