Kenya Denies Claims By UN that its Forces Killed 36 Civilians in Somalia

The government has refuted allegations by the United Nations that the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) killed 40 civilian in Somalia in the last 22 months running to mid-October.

In a new report released on Sunday, the global body claims that air strikes conducted by the Kenyan forces were “ responsible for 42 civilian casualties (36 killed, six injured).”

The report, compiled jointly by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (Unsom) and the UN Human Rights Office links the deaths and injuries to KDF units not operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

“Ultimately, civilians are paying the price for failure to resolve Somalia’s conflicts through political means,” said Unsom chief Michael Keating. “And parties to the conflict are simply not doing enough to shield civilians from the violence. This is shameful.”

The report, however, blames terror group, Al- for the largest share of civilian deaths in Somalia, among them the 512 killings as a result of explosions in Mogadishu on October 14th.

In a response to the report, Kenyan embassy in Somalia dismisses claims that there is a section of KDF officers operating outside the Amisom umbrella and terms the allegations as incorrect and unfortunate.

“For a UN report to insinuate that Kenya has an occupational force in Somalia is not only incorrect but very unfortunate — hence, need for this part of the report to be deleted forthwith,” declares the response signed by Kenya's Ambassador to Somalia Lucas Tumbo.

He adds: “The serious allegation against KDF is not justified beyond doubt and therefore should not be retained in this report.”

“The government of Kenya takes the necessary precautions to protect civilians in all its operations,” the embassy's response declares.

The Kenyan government further describes the UN report as “extremely sensational,” adding it “carries unqualified allegations which have serious implications on the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) as a professional force.”

“The report may be construed to advance Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups' agenda by demonising counter-terrorism operations while vocalising Al-Shabaab propaganda,” says the response by Ambassador Tumbo.