Kenya has hit back at Somalia as the diplomatic spat between the two countries escalates, looping in an ally in the form of neighboring Somaliland.
In a joint communique on Tuesday, December 15, Kenya said it is set to open a consulate in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, by the end of March 2021.
Somaliland will also upgrade its Liaison Office in Nairobi within the same time frame.
The communique was released after a meeting between Kenya and Somaliland delegation.
The diplomatic development comes amid a deteriorating relationship between Kenya and Somalia.
Somali had issued a statement, Tuesday morning, noting that it had severed ties with the Kenyan government.
‘’Somalia wants all its diplomats to go back to Mogadishu. Kenyan diplomats have 7 days to leave the country," Somalia Minister of Information Osman Dube announced.
Similar differences between Somaliland and Somalia have been brewing over the years.
Somaliland, which is currently recognized as a de facto state, has failed to gain international recognition as a sovereign territory.
ODM Party leader and AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development, Raila Odinga in his meeting with Somaliland President Musa Bihi Abdi pushed for Somaliland to be recognized as an independent state.
"I've talked at the United Nations (UN), and Charterhouse in London, I have no regrets in saying that Somaliland is a reality.
"It will continue to survive and exist as a country," Raila noted.
