Araweelo News Network.
What are the two leaders talking about?
Nairobi(ANN)-The President of the Republic of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, accompanied by his Cabinet officials, arrived at the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, after departing from Egal International Airport this morning.
President Bihi and his delegation were welcomed at the Jommo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi by the CS, Peter Munya Ministry of Agricultutre, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives and Minister of Foreign Affairs. According to the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ twitter account.
The President of the Republic of Somaliland Muse Bihi Abdi and a delegation led by him left for Kenya today 13 December 2020., Image Araweelo News Network.
Somaliland President Muse Bihi and his delegation are expected to spend three days in Kenya. He is scheduled to meet with his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday, December 14, 2020, according to a statement on the Kenyan Foreign Ministry’s Twitter account.
“Somaliland is an important ally in the Horn of Africa and we are cooperating in the fight against terrorism, particularly al-Shabaab.” A statement from the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on its Twitter account.
This is the second visit by a Somaliland leader following a similar one by President Kahin Riyale Kahin in 2006. Somaliland is an important partner in the Horn of Africa region in the fight against terrorism and particularly Al-Shabaab.@BreakingNewsKE@TheStarKenya @NTVnewsroom pic.twitter.com/9gv4TsW9bj
— ForeignAffairsKenya (@ForeignOfficeKE) December 13, 2020
It is not clear what the two sides will discuss, and President Bihi’s visit coincided with a strained relationship between Somalia and Kenya, which has been embroiled in a series of disputes in recent times, which have led to the separation of embassies.
Some Kenyan media outlets, however, have discussed the issues the two leaders will discuss at the meeting and noted that the prospects for both Somaliland and Kenya are part of Kenya Airways’ plans to launch flights from Somaliland.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the issues the two leaders of Somaliland and Kenya are discussing are part of the Kenyan government’s interest in Somalia’s elections, given the recurring rift between Uhuru Kenyatta’s government and the Somali Federal Government led by President Mohamed. Abdullahi Farmajo.
The visit of the Somaliland delegation to Kenya has arrived ccomes days after Mogadishu expelled Kenya’s top diplomat to Somalia Maj Gen (rtd) Lucas Tambo over continuous ‘interference’ in its internal affairs.
Mogadishu accused Nairobi of meddling in its upcoming elections by putting pressure on the regional leader of Jubaland, Ahmed Mohamed Islaam Madobe, to walk back on a poll agreement brokered two months ago.
The trip will be the first by President Museveni to Kenya since he took office in December 2017, although former Somaliland presidents have visited Kenya several times and there have been closer ties between the two countries and Somaliland has been visited several times by a delegation from the Government of Kenya and the House of Representatives.