Somalia Blasts Kenya Over Detention of Dignitaries

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia blasted Kenya's recent move to deny three of its officials entry visas.

In a statement dated May 21, 2019, Somalia disclosed that it was deeply concerned by Kenya's decision to detain and confiscate passports belonging to several top-ranking members of its government.

"The Government of Somalia is concerned that several members of the Somali Government who travelled to Nairobi recently, including parliamentarians and cabinet ministers were detained by immigration officials," an excerpt to the letter revealed.

Kenya's recent decision to ban all direct flights from their neighbours and declaration of a mandatory security stop in Wajir was also mentioned in the letter.

The war-ravaged country lamented that Kenya's move went against the neighbourly bond between the two countries, arguing that both moves contravened the agreement reached between the two governments.

"Somalia, therefore, calls on the Government of Kenya to consider the potentially destabilizing impact of these actions and to uphold the longstanding relations between our two nations," a section of the letter disclosed.

However, diplomatic ties between the two nations weren't totally severed yet, as Somalia declared that it was still willing to work and maintain the friendly relations with key, adding that they would continue to welcome Kenyans into their country.

They also made it clear that they were available for dialogue with their Kenyan counterparts at any given time.

Kenya and Somalia have been involved in a diplomatic row over a contentious off-shore maritime border, which has seen the amicable atmosphere enjoyed between the two depleted in an instance.