Uhuru send Matiang’i to meet with Ethiopian PM over row with Somalia

NAIROBI—President Uhuru Kenyatta sent the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Coordinations Fred Matiangi to Addis Ababa in a bid to meet the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed over the simmering row with Somalia, the Star reports.

The powerful CS was dispatched on Tuesday, two days after meeting President Mohamed Abdullahi “”Farmajo” at Villa Somalia in Mogadishu. Matiang’i handed the Somali leader an invitation letter from president Uhuru for a meeting in Nairobi.

“The President (Farmajo) accepted the invitation to visit Nairobi,” Villa Somali said in statement on Monday.

Premier Abiy Ahmed was last year instrumental in finding a common ground between President Uhuru and President Farmajo over the maritime dispute.In a rare gesture, Abiy flew into Nairobi, tagging Farmajo along. The three leaders

discussed the issue at State House and agreed to keep negotiations as an option.

According to sources close to the State House, the president settled for Matiang’i due to his “no baggage “ status since he’s never dealt with Somalia affairs.

Kenya and Somalia slipped into bitter diplomatic row since the issue of the maritime border dispute came up under the leadership of President Mohamed Farmajo. The row was nearly ironed out in November when President Uhuru drove down to the hotel President Farmajo was staying in Nairobi at the sidelines of the ICPD25 summit.

Somalia sued Kenya at the ICJ, demanding to redraw the current sea boundary so that it runs diagonal, extending from the land border, as opposed to eastwards south of Kiunga along Kenya’s coastal region.

The meeting came hot on the heels of the September meeting at the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, US, which was mediated by the African Union chairman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. However, the impasse still persist.

On the latest row, Somalia want Kenya to hand over Abdirashid Janan, a former Jubbaland minister Mogadishu considers a fugitive following his jail-break from a remand facility in the Somali capital. Nairobi maintains no formal request was made for the handover.

Somalia’s international partners expressed grave concern at the build-up of security forces in the Gedo region of Jubaland, Somalia, and clashes in the vicinity of Belet Hawo on 2 March that resulted in the displacement of civilians and casualties.

“We urgently call upon all actors to exercise restraint, to reduce the presence of security forces in Gedo, and to avoid any actions that could spark violence. 

“We note the importance of stability and good cooperation among Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in their common border area where they have shared security interests, a joint statement by Somalia’s international partners said in joint communique on Sunday.

For the long-term stability and security of the border region and of Jubaland, the partners urged cooperation and dialogue between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Jubaland authorities in order to advance the fight against al-Shabaab.