Ethiopia “crystal clean”

The Kenyan government has ruled out external aggression from Ethiopia as a factor in clashes in northern Kenya. The minister in charge of internal security, Marsden Madoka, told local journalists that an investigation into the violence in Isiolo, Wajir and Mandera districts, which had claimed more than 300 lives, were the responsibility of local politicians. He ruled out involvement of Ethiopian militiamen, saying that the Ethiopian government was “crystal clean” and had no role in the misunderstandings among the local Kenyan communities, the Kenyan daily ‘East African Standard’ reported on Monday. Madoka did, however, say that a politician from Wajir had tried to enlist the support of the Boran and Oromo communities in Ethiopia to engage in retaliation. “We have even established that some politicians are warlords, funding criminal activities in the region for their own political mileage. They arm their bandits and pay them to kill,” he told journalists.

The investigation follows complaints by the local administration and politicians that Ethiopian soldiers have been involved in the clashes - an accusation denied by the Ethiopian government.