EAST AFRICA: Somalia-Kenya diplomatic relations restored at the help of Qatar

By: Ollus Ndomu

Somalia has announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with Kenya, following Qatar mediated talks between Presidents of the neighbouring countries.

Aggrey Mutambo of The Nation reports the development follows a series of back channels between Somalia, Kenya and Qatar, which “enjoyed an influential position” in Somalia under President Mohamed Farmaajo.

Diplomatic ties between these two countries soured on December 15, 2020, at the height of allegations that Kenya was meddling in Somalia’s affairs.

Nairobi refuted all allegations, saying Mogadishu was seeking a scapegoat for its internal struggles including the now escalated political turmoil.

Early this year, Somalia went as far as threatening to withdraw from a grouping of East African nations after the bloc ruled in favour of Kenya in a diplomatic spat between the two countries, which have an often-fraught relationship, allAfrica.

Somalia and Kenya have had failed to sustain diplomatic relations from 2019 with Kenya recalling its ambassador from Mogadishu in a long-running dispute over a stretch of the Indian Ocean claimed by both nations and believed to hold valuable deposits of oil and gas.

Diplomatic ties have been restored but the dispute over a stretch of the Indian Ocean remains in the international court. Additional text, allAfrica.