IGAD mum on Somalia-Kenya tiff in final statement
GOOBJOOG NEWS|DJIBOUTI: The regional bloc IGAD has steered clear of the Somalia-Kenya diplomatic battles despite the Federal Government’s submission of a protest letter to the eight-member bloc last week.
A communique released today about 12 hours since the 38th Extraordinary heads of states and government summit ended was conspicuously silent on the ongoing diplomatic disputes between Kenya and Somalia.
Mogadishu announced last week it had submitted a protest letter to IGAD chairman Abdalla Hamdok for discussion during the summit. The African Union Commission chairman Moussa Faki, however, said the disputes were a ‘matter of concern’ to the continental body.
The omission of the diplomatic row between the two countries in the communique could have been informed by earlier talks between Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Mohamed Farmaajo ahead of the talks.
Al-Jazeera Network reported Sunday the two leaders had settled on the resumption of ties. There was however no word from both sides with Somalia’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdirizak only telling journalists ‘we’re awaiting the communique tomorrow’.
On Somalia, the communique only touched on upcoming elections calling for dialogue between the various stakeholders and adherence to earlier agreed protocols in Dhusamareb and Mogadishu in September.
The communique also maintained a wide berth on the Tigray conflict and instead remarked, [the summit] reaffirmed the primacy of constitutional order, stability and unity of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’.