Linda Nchi: A First Quarter Review

In my second lengthy analysis piece for Somalia Report, I assess the progress of the Kenyan invasion of Somalia, Operation Linda Nchi, three months in:

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Three months have now passed since Kenya launched its invasion of Somalia, codenamed Linda Nchi ("Protect the Country").

Though the invasion appeared to have been in the works for months, its precise timing, in October 2011, was ostensibly determined by a rash of kidnappings in northern Kenya, including the brutal abductions of Briton Judith Tebbutt and Frenchwoman Marie Dedieu.

Provoked by these blatant infringements of Kenyan sovereignty, the untested Kenya army was launched into the muck, literally. Three prongs of invading columns found themselves caught out in the rain, with roads rendered impassable. The Kenyan Defence Forces’ (KDF) primary objectives of taking Afmadow and Kismayo quickly fell by the wayside.

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Click here for the full article.