Russian Foreign Minister Says West's Involvement In Kenya Riots Cannot Be Ruled Out

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that he could not rule out the West being behind the anti-government protests in Kenya that erupted earlier in the week

SOCHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2023) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that he could not rule out the West being behind the anti-government protests in Kenya that erupted earlier in the week.

"The fact that there were riots in Kenya in parallel does not surprise us either, because our Western colleagues constantly demand from African leaders, from the leaders of other countries that they follow their advice, and those who show some minimal independence receive various provocations from the West," Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, adding that he could not rule out that this had been the case with Kenya and the current riots there.

The Russian minister stated that social unrest like the situation in Kenya could also be caused by certain economic developments in the country, though the West could also be behind the protest movements.

"In the overwhelming majority of cases the West tends to either create such situations (riots) or use them to its advantage," Lavrov added.

On Monday, mass protests erupted in Kenya organized by opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga over high inflation. Later in the day, clashes between police officers and protesters intensified as police fired tear gas and water cannons, with at least one person dead and hundreds arrested. Odinga also called for weekly nationwide demonstrations against President William Ruto's government.

Kenya's former prime minister narrowly lost the presidential election last year and unsuccessfully tried to overturn the result of the vote. Odinga has repeatedly stated that Ruto's government is illegitimate and stole the election.