Somalia's minister of information Osman Abukar Dubbe on Wednesday, December 2, held a press conference during which he escalated accusations against Kenya, terming it as a country that lacked understanding of good neighborliness.
He accused Kenya of hosting Somali rebels and claimed that Nairobi, was being used by dissidents to plan and execute missions to destabilise the Somalian Government.
"We have a lot of respect for Kenya, We want to live in a mutual interest. However Nairobi does not show any respect for that,
"Nairobi has become a place where plans to cause political tensions intended to destabilise the emerging governance in our country. That is why we had recalled our ambassador from Nairobi for consultation," he alleged during the press conference that was broadcasted live on State-Owned network, Somali National TV.
The latest escalation in the simmering tension between the two nations comes as Somalia prepares for legislative and presidential elections.
In his address, the vocal minister also accused the Kenya Defence Force (KDF) of ceding strategic towns to the outlawed Al Shabab mitlitia group.
"After the Kenyan forces withdrew from the towns without informing anybody they were seized (by al-Shabab). Imagine the problems the Somali people who lived there experienced. Is that something we can ignore?" he remarked.
On Monday, November 30, the Federal Government of Somalia recalled its ambassador to Nairobi and asked Kenya's ambassador to Mogadishu Retired Major General Lucas Tambo to depart.
Dubbe claimed Nairobi had become a hotspot for Somali opposition groups looking to renege on agreements reached in Somalia.
The press conference from the Somalian Minister of Information further fuels deteriorating relations between Somalia and Kenya
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years largely due to a maritime dispute over a 150,000 square kilometre area in the Indian Ocean known to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits.
