Influenza
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 1, 2018
- 1,445
- 3,403
Marekani na washirika wake wanatumia shinikizo na nguvu laini kwa Kenya kuunga mkono vita dhidi ya Wahouthi nchini Yemen - na kwa kuongeza vita vya Israel huko Gaza - wakilenga kumaliza mfululizo wa mgomo wa kutatiza meli zinazosafirisha bidhaa kupitia Bahari Nyekundu.
Nairobi katika muda wa wiki mbili zilizopita imekuwa mwenyeji wa wakuu wa kijasusi na ulinzi wa Marekani, akiwemo Mkurugenzi wa Shirika la Ujasusi (CIA), William Burns na Mkuu wa Kamandi ya Afrika (Africom), Jenerali Michael Langley.
Ziara zao, ambazo kuhusu matokeo ambayo serikali iliyatoa kwa uchache, zilitoa ahadi za usalama na ushirikiano wa kijasusi. Jenerali Langley pia alitembelea Somalia na Djibouti, huku mkuu wa CIA akizuru Somalia na DR Congo.
Wiki hii, Kenya ilikuwa nchi pekee ya Pembe ya Afrika kuidhinisha hadharani mashambulizi ya anga dhidi ya Wahouthi wanaoungwa mkono na Iran, ambao vitendo vyao vya kulenga meli katika Bahari Nyekundu sasa vimeainishwa na nchi za Magharibi kama ugaidi.
====
The US and its allies are applying both pressure and soft power to Kenya to support the war on Houthis in Yemen – and, by extension, Israel’s war in Gaza – targeting to end a disruptive series of strikes on ships ferrying goods through the Red Sea.
Nairobi has, in the past fortnight, hosted senior US intelligence and defence chiefs, including Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns and head of the Africa Command (Africom) General Michael Langley. Their visits, about whose outcomes the government kept mum, yielded security and intelligence cooperation pledges. Gen Langley also visited Somalia and Djibouti, while the CIA boss toured Somalia and DR Congo.
This week, Kenya was the only Horn of Africa country to publicly endorse airstrikes on the Iran-backed Houthi, whose acts of targeting ships in the Red Sea are now categorised by the West as terrorism.
“These strikes were designed to disrupt and degrade the capability of the Houthis to continue their attacks on global trade and innocent mariners from around the world, while avoiding escalation,” said a statement by the White House on Wednesday.
“We condemn these attacks, and demand an end to them. We also underscore that those who supply the Houthis with the weapons to conduct these attacks are violating UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law. The January 22 international response to the continuing Houthi attacks demonstrated shared resolve to uphold navigational rights and freedoms, and to defend the lives of mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks.”
The statement was endorsed by the governments of Kenya, Guinea-Bissau, Albania, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Poland, Korea, Romania, UK, and US.
The Houthis were not initially considered a threat beyond their country. But since December, they have launched at least 30 attacks on commercial and naval ships passing through the Red Sea, ostensibly to retaliate for Israel’s war in Gaza against the Hamas militant group. Houthis have argued theirs is revenge for Israel’s atrocities on Palestinians.
More read: US pushes Nairobi into anti-Houthi campaign as EA peers steer clear
Nairobi katika muda wa wiki mbili zilizopita imekuwa mwenyeji wa wakuu wa kijasusi na ulinzi wa Marekani, akiwemo Mkurugenzi wa Shirika la Ujasusi (CIA), William Burns na Mkuu wa Kamandi ya Afrika (Africom), Jenerali Michael Langley.
Ziara zao, ambazo kuhusu matokeo ambayo serikali iliyatoa kwa uchache, zilitoa ahadi za usalama na ushirikiano wa kijasusi. Jenerali Langley pia alitembelea Somalia na Djibouti, huku mkuu wa CIA akizuru Somalia na DR Congo.
Wiki hii, Kenya ilikuwa nchi pekee ya Pembe ya Afrika kuidhinisha hadharani mashambulizi ya anga dhidi ya Wahouthi wanaoungwa mkono na Iran, ambao vitendo vyao vya kulenga meli katika Bahari Nyekundu sasa vimeainishwa na nchi za Magharibi kama ugaidi.
====
The US and its allies are applying both pressure and soft power to Kenya to support the war on Houthis in Yemen – and, by extension, Israel’s war in Gaza – targeting to end a disruptive series of strikes on ships ferrying goods through the Red Sea.
Nairobi has, in the past fortnight, hosted senior US intelligence and defence chiefs, including Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns and head of the Africa Command (Africom) General Michael Langley. Their visits, about whose outcomes the government kept mum, yielded security and intelligence cooperation pledges. Gen Langley also visited Somalia and Djibouti, while the CIA boss toured Somalia and DR Congo.
This week, Kenya was the only Horn of Africa country to publicly endorse airstrikes on the Iran-backed Houthi, whose acts of targeting ships in the Red Sea are now categorised by the West as terrorism.
“These strikes were designed to disrupt and degrade the capability of the Houthis to continue their attacks on global trade and innocent mariners from around the world, while avoiding escalation,” said a statement by the White House on Wednesday.
“We condemn these attacks, and demand an end to them. We also underscore that those who supply the Houthis with the weapons to conduct these attacks are violating UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law. The January 22 international response to the continuing Houthi attacks demonstrated shared resolve to uphold navigational rights and freedoms, and to defend the lives of mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks.”
The statement was endorsed by the governments of Kenya, Guinea-Bissau, Albania, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Poland, Korea, Romania, UK, and US.
The Houthis were not initially considered a threat beyond their country. But since December, they have launched at least 30 attacks on commercial and naval ships passing through the Red Sea, ostensibly to retaliate for Israel’s war in Gaza against the Hamas militant group. Houthis have argued theirs is revenge for Israel’s atrocities on Palestinians.
More read: US pushes Nairobi into anti-Houthi campaign as EA peers steer clear
