Politically Motivated Diplomatic Turmoil: Somalia Accuses Kenya over Sovereign Interference.
This is not the first time Somalia has made such an allegations towards Kenya, but it comes at a time of political and power transition as National Elections are looming and the timetable of the controversial Electoral Committee is behind the schedule.
Somalia and Kenya has a Political, Economic, and Security ties which dates back to the colonial ages. The sidelines of the border between the two countries is resided by Somalis, making their ties lasting for centuries to come.
In recent years, political tensions have arisen between the two countries over a number of issues, including the maritime dispute, the issue of the Jubbaland administration, and Kenya been a hotbed for some opposition figures fighting to unseat the incumbent.
On November 29, a statement from Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that Somalia had summoned its ambassador to Kenya and that the Kenyan ambassador to Somalia had been ordered to leave the country due to, what Villa Somalia called in the statement, “Kenya’s attempt to infringe upon the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and the unity of Somalia”.
Kenya has denied the allegations and said that it regrets the unfortunate move by the gov of Somalia to expel its envoy from the country and also stated that it did not receive an official document from the Federal Government of Somalia other than the press statement posted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on social media.
This is related to the feud between Farmajo and A. Madobe which is based on the disputed election issues and the issue of Gedo region in Jubbaland state which also has a geographical border with Kenya.
In 2011, Kenya has joined the Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and occupied the southern Gedo Region of Somalia with the presence of 3000 troops.
On 29 August 2019, the President of Jubaland Ahmed Mohamed Islam, alias Ahmed Madobe, was re-elected to lead the administration for a four-year term following a disputed poll as the FGS repudiated its outcome and stamped it as a rigged election. Albeit, the FGS’s intention to unseat Ahmed Madobe and install its Manchurian Candidate as it previously did in Southwest. On contrary, the UN Mission in Somalia congratulated Madobe’s victory and called the sides to solve disputes in a peaceful manner.
“we want to work with neighboring countries on security. We will work with anyone to maintain the stability and development of the region. We want to work with them in the fight against al-Shabab.” Madobe vows in his victory speech.
Later on, the FGS deployed troops to the Gedo region, the home region to President Farmajo, to overthrow the Jubaland administration and frustrate its administrational mandate. Madobe’s forces under the command of Jubaland’s Minister of Internal Security Janan, a dubious figure with allegations of war crimes, with the support of Kenya AMISOM troops, reacted and a fierce fight erupted alongside the border of Kenya and Somalia. FGS forces pushed Janan-led forces to Mandera, a city on the Kenya side of the border. It was then the FGS alleged that Kenya is hosting a fugitive with armed rebels.
U.S. was among the international community to express concerns about the deteriorating situation in the Kenya-Somalia border and called all sides to disengage from armed conflict and embrace dialogue.
For the past decades, Kenya has been home to Somali politicians, especially at this time of political transition, it offers a political coziness and freedom of speech to oppositions willing to topple down the ruling president of Somalia.
During his presidential campaign in 2016, the incumbent resided in Nairobi, and, with impunity, has been sending his harsh critics towards then-President Hassan Sh. Mohamud through media channels. In his campaign orator, to stimulate the public sentiments, he accused Prez Hassan of been a puppet of the Ethiopian gov and pledged that if elected he’ll kick the Ethiopians out of the country, but when he took the office, he found himself in a cosy bed with what he previously called the enemy of the people, Ethiopia.
Farmajo captivates the public with his sugar-coated, patriotic speeches and always finds way to character-assassinates his political adversaries.
Following his return from Nairobi on 29 Nov, the same day Somalia expelled Kenya’s envoy to Somalia, Ahmed Madobe accused Farmajo of inciting violence in Gedo Region of Jubaland in what he referred to as an “unnecessary gimmick” aimed at frustrating the much-anticipated election in Somalia. His speech was packed by the Council of Presidential Candidates, CPC, a coalition of 14 candidates, who reiterated that Farmajo should hold the elections on time and disband the controversial Electoral Committee, failing to do that could lead to political precariousness and mayhem in the country.
It was followed by the speech of the Mayor of Mogadishu, Omar Filish, who sent a fierce warning to the CPC and other critics of Farmajo and even threatened to “seize and kill them relentlessly”, then later joined was a press statement by the Somali Minister of Information Culture and Tourism, Osman Dubbe, accusing the opposition of being traitors who are serving for the interest of Kenya.
Narrating a verse in the Quran, Mr Filish described the CPC as ‘hypocrites who have sickness in their hearts, and called them to desist mongering rumours in the town or face death’.
Villa Somalia must show political maturity that will encourage a peaceful transition. it should as well dissolve the disputed Electoral Committee who failed to gain the trust of the parties. During this critical transitional period, anything that could provoke public sentiment and cause further political impasse should be avoided. An adult conversation is the only way forward.
The opposition must safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and should invalidate anything that could disrupt Somalia’s foreign policy.
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