Somalia stands ground on maritime case as Kenya’s FM lands in Mogadishu

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Somalia has maintained the maritime row with Kenya will only be resolved through the International Court of Justice mechanism dashing claims that Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Raychelle Omamo’s visit to Mogadishu Sunday would be building up a case for negotiations.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s office noted that Somalia is ‘insisting that the maritime dispute between Somalia and Kenya await a decision from the International Court of Justice.’

Earlier, sections of the media in Kenya quoting anonymous sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mogadishu alleged that the maritime case was top on the agenda in the Cabinet Secretary’s visit to Mogadishu. However, it was not immediately clear if the matter came up during the meeting between ambassador Omamo and Prime Minister Mohamed Roble.

The OPM only noted that the Kenyan minister had relayed an invite to the PM by President Uhuru Kenyatta alongside rebuilding diplomatic ties. Also missing out was the issue of khat trade which was highly anticipated to form part of the talks.

On the eve of the visit, a decree by outgoing president Mohamed Farmaajo could have dealt a blow to prospects of revisiting the issue. It is notable that Farmaajo’s associates are already running the lucrative khat business which they wrestled out from Kenya and diverted to Ethiopia.

Farmaajo, in a decree targeting the PM’s engagements with Kenya, put a caveat on any engagements and agreements by the Federal Government locally and internationally.