Somalia and Kenya ministers in "cordial" phone call amid diplomatic fallout

NAIROBI, Kenya - The relationship between Mogadishu and Nairobi may improve substantially following a rare phone call involving two senior ministers, who are responsible for fixing diplomatic matters, that have usually caught Somalia and Kenya at crossroads.

For almost a year now, Somalia and Kenya have been at loggerheads, with their issues ranging from the political situation in Jubaland to the Indian Ocean maritime border row, and the end product has been massive economic losses coupled with heated exchanges.

On Wednesday, Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Raychelle Omamo and her Somalia counterpart Mohamed Abdirizak held a phone conversation that lasted for hours, and in which most of the topical issues surrounding the strained relationship between the two nations were discussed.

The call comes just a few days after Kenya opened airspace for Somalia-bound planes weeks after closure. Furthermore, the two nations had earlier pledged to restore diplomatic ties following interventions from Qatar, which has vested interests in the Horn of Africa.

In similar press statements, the two countries described the phone conversation as "warm and cordial" further giving hope to their citizens. It's not clear which of the two made the call first, but they are said to have spoken for several hours.

Among the top agendas, the statement noted, was the opening of diplomatic missions in Mogadishu and Nairobi respectively, which have been closed for months now. Both nations recalled their envoys on separate occasions, further derailing bilateral ties.

"Both ministers reconfirmed the need to expeditiously reopen their two respective Missions of Kenya and Somalia in Nairobi and Mogadishu and emphasized the importance of normalizing diplomatic relations between the two countries," reads the statement.

Kenya first closed her offices in Mogadishu in 2020 following the controversial maritime border, before closing the airspace for months. This triggered retaliation from Mogadishu, leading to the closure of its borders.

But even after a conversation between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, the situation worsened after Somalia went on with the maritime case at The Hague besides banning the importation of Khat [Miraa], in which Kenya is a lead exporter.

Although the two ministers did not give the fate of the Miraa ban in Somalia, they reinstated the need to strengthen trade ties, security, and cultural relations. To avoid further fallout, the statement notes, the two ministers agreed to keep diplomatic channels of communication open.

"The Ministers expressed a strong wish to improve trade, security and cultural relations between Somalia and Kenya," the statement further read in a part.

"Finally, they agreed to keep bilateral diplomatic channels of communications open between the two Capitals in all matters of future strategic diplomatic relations."

Kenya is one of the key security partners in Somalia given that it has close to 3,500 KDF soldiers in the Horn of Africa nation. Although the ministers did not discuss the controversial bombings in Gedo where KDF is accused of targeting civilians, they, however, agreed to cooperate on matters of security.

The Kenyan troops are set to leave Somalia upon full implementation of the Somali Transition Plan [STP] which will be concluded by the end of 2021. But there are plans in Nairobi either to keep the soldiers in Somalia or draw them near the common border.

GAROWE ONLINE