Ethiopia diplomacy helps cool Kenya-Somalia tensions

A mediation led by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has yielded positive results with Kenya and Somalia agreeing on Wednesday to deescalate tense relations between them.

Abiy’s office said after the meeting between in Nairobi that: “As an outcome both agreed to work towards peace & to take measures in addressing particular issues that escalated the tensions.”

The Premier left Addis Ababa on Tuesday evening along with his Somalian counterpart Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo to Nairobi, at a time tensions were high over a maritime dispute.

Farmaajo was in Ethiopia on an official visit on the invitation of Abiy. The two leaders discussed bilateral issues and other matters of regional interest.

The Somali presidency has in a subsequent official message thanked Ethiopia for mediating the impasse with local media reporting that the government stressed that it will allow the international body seized with the matter to rule.

Last month, Kenya summoned its ambassador to Somalia, saying it was protesting a decision by the Mogadishu government to auction oil and gas exploration blocks at the centre of a maritime territorial dispute in the Indian Ocean.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is considering a claim by the two neighbours over a common maritime boundary. The case was brought by Somalia in 2014 after negotiations over the 100,000 square km stretch of sea floor broke down.

#Somalia and #Kenya agreed to restore diplomatic relations and strengthen cooperation between two countries, after fruitful talks between two head of states M_Farmaajo and UKenyatta in Nairobi. pic.twitter.com/evnziM25jK

— Liban Abdi Ali (@LibanAbdiAli) March 6, 2019