Abiy consulted on Kenya-Somalia talks

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, has been consulted on talks being held between Kenya and Somalia in an effort to ease tensions along their shared border.

Kenya’s Interior Minister, Fred Matiang’i, tweeted a picture of himself holding hands with the Prime Minister.

He wrote of the “substantive talks” they had “on Kenya’s desire for more avenues of collaboration”.

Ethiopia also borders both Kenya and Somalia, and contributes troops to the African Union forces supporting the UN-backed government’s efforts in battling al-Shabaab, the Islamist group operating in Somalia.

Matiang’i and Abiy’s meeting comes just a week after Somali forces clashed with those from the semi-autonomous Somali region of Jubaland, near the town of Mandera, in Kenya.

Matiang’i has been busy over the past week, meeting with Somali President Mohammed Abdullahi ‘Farmajo” Mohamed over the weekend in an effort to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries and ensure tighter border security. 

Tensions have been high of late, after a maritime dispute was sparked over the sovereignty of an area of the Indian Ocean

The case will be heard at the International Court of Justice later this year in June.

Photo: Twitter/Dr. Fred Matiang’i