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Inside Uhuru-Farmaajo deal to normalise diplomatic relations

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NAIROBI—On Thursday, Kenyans and Somalis woke up to the pictures of President Uhuru and his Somali counterpart, President Farmajo posing for pictures, sandwiched by the Egyptian leader Abdulfatah El-Sisi at the sidelines of the ongoing 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

President Kenyatta and President Farmajo embrace in New York following deal to resume relations brokered by Egyptian leader, Abdulfatah  El-Sisi. 

Sisi brokered the deal as the chairman of the African Union.

A row over a maritime territorial area in the Indian Ocean between Kenya and Somalia has escalated in February after Nairobi decided to cut diplomatic relations with Mogadishu over a claim that the latter had auctioned oil blocks located in a disputed border area.

At the centre of the dispute is a narrow triangle on the Indian Ocean measuring 62,000 square miles. It is not yet clear to which country it belongs, but it is believed to hold large deposits of oil and gas. 

According to statement by Villa Somalia on Wednesday, President Mohamed Farmaajo agreed to normalize diplomatic relations with Nairobi, but maintained that deal would not include out-of-court settlement as called for by President Uhuru.

“…the president (Farmaajo) called for normalization of diplomatic relations. He also maintained need for the case to continue at the Hague,” the statement said in part.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Monica Juma said: “Kenya welcomes this first meeting, which is a step in the right direction. Kenya has always believed in, and continues to call for negotiations as the best framework for finding African solutions for African problems.”

According to Kenyan officials privy to the discussions, President Farmaajo raised the issue of Jubbaland elections and challenged Uhuru “to let Somalia be.”

At his address at the UN, President Kenyatta called on Somalia to allow negotiations over the disputed oil field in the Indian Ocean.

“The commitment to pursue peace and security remains at the core of Kenya’s Foreign Policy. I am pleased to say that combined efforts to advance peace and security in the region continue to bear fruits,” he said.

During his address on Thursday, President Farmaajo told the UN that Somalia was committed to seeing the case to its conclusion, dismissing Uhuru’s appeal for negotiations.

“As a member of the UN and part of the Statute of the Court (International Court of Justice) Somalia is committed to seeing the judicial process its conclusion,” Farmajo told the UN, adding that bid to resolve the dispute faltered severally since 2014.

The case is set for final hearing in the first week of November.

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