Dayo Olopade writing in the NYTimes:
More hereLiving in the Horn of Africa over the past year, I’ve been humbled by the complexities of regional politics. The Kenyan establishment had its reasons to invade Somalia: fighting for vital tourist dollars, punishing rogue pirates and petty kidnappers, protecting the $24 billion port under construction in the northern town of Lamu. Pressure from an America that has itself soured on military intervention is also said to play a role. But I still believe that none of these justifications is worth it.
Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Another witness to Monday’s bombing voiced what was on everyone’s mind: “You can’t rule out that we’ve created antagonism between our country and Somalia,” he said. The mounting belief that this foreign war is causing domestic violence has become a growing chink in the unified front that Kenyan citizens first projected when Linda Nchi began. Kenya’s failure to confront this could prolong the violence in both places.
