Kenya closes border with Somalia

Kenya on Wednesday shut its border with Somalia, saying it will not allow more refugees into the country.

Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Raphael Tuju said the east African nation had ordered screening of all refugees entering the country.

"Kenya has closed its border with Somalia because of insecurity and we are screening all refugees before we allow any of them to enter our country," he said, hours after security forces deported at least 400 refugees back to the neighboring war-ravaged nation.

The move came two days after the Somali transitional government appealed to Nairobi to shut its border to deter Islamists who had just abandoned their last remaining bastion in the southern port town of Kismayo from crossing over.

Tuju said the east African nation, which has beefed up security along its long and porous border, feared a possible influx of arms into the country, brought by fleeing refugees and combatants.

The minister said Kenya supported deployment of Ethiopian troops in Somalia but would not send its troops to the war-torn country.

He, however, said Kenya would back any moves by the African Union or the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to send troops to Somalia to restore law and order.

The minister also said that any suspected member of the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts (SCIC) found in Kenya would be arrested and prosecuted.

Tuju said there was no conflict between the Kenyan and the Ethiopian government over the decision to invade Somalia, saying the motive was to restore stability in the country that has been without a proper government since dictator Siad Barre was deposed 16 years ago.

"The Kenyan government is happy that the TFG (Transitional Federal Government) is now in Mogadishu and has taken charge," Tuju said, adding that the priority was to help the internationally recognized government stabilize in line with the wishes of IGAD, whose chairman is Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.

Tuju said that Kenya has now asked the transitional government and Ethiopia to establish internally displaced people camps in Somalia.

"We are not able to ascertain whether these people are genuine refugees or fighters and therefore it's best that they remain in Somalia," said Tuju.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has criticized Kenya's actions, with aid workers expressing frustration at being unable to help Somalis fleeing conflict.

UNHCR spokesperson Millicent Mutuli said the Kenyan Red Cross had been denied access to them for four days.

"It's against international law to deny people access to humanitarian assistance under such circumstances," said Mutuli.

But Tuju dismissed UNHCR criticism as misguided.

"Kenyans are overburdened, in fact Europe and America do not give us enough aid to support these refugees and it's not a written rule that when there is fighting in Somalia that people should run to Kenya, other nations should also take the burden," he said.

The Somali refugees, mainly women and children, were deported after being taken from the border transit camp at Liboi in north- east Kenya in government trucks.

The recent advance of heavily armed Ethiopian troops has ended a six-month Islamist occupation which had brought a degree of stability to large areas of formerly lawless Somalia.

Source: Xinhua