Kenya eyes US backing in S. Sudan, Somalia peace efforts

0

Kenya sought Washington’s support in her push for the UN Security Council to commit more resources to peace efforts in South Sudan and Somalia during Friday’s talks led by US top diplomat in Nairobi.

Foreign Affairs secretary Monica Juma said emerging regional security issues would dominate the talks between Nairobi and the Trump administration when US secretary of State Rex Tillerson jetted on Friday.

“We are telling the world and in fact the UN and the Security Council in particular that the UN Charter when it was written, it says that it’s for the search for international peace, not everywhere except South Sudan and Somalia,” Ms Juma said.

“So South Sudan is a burden for the entire international community and this is the message we are pushing.”

Denying that Kenya was facilitating flow of weapons into South Sudan, the minister said the country bears the biggest brunt  of the unending war, including billions of shillings in annual losses by firms with operations in that country after it slipped back to civil war nearly four years ago.