Kenya has acted surprisingly in current months after expelling its neighbor’s ambassador and denying some Somali officers entry to Nairobi, in what seems to be diplomatic harassment.
Kenyan authorities have additionally shut down a number of companies in Hawala with mass arrests focusing on Somali residents dwelling within the suburb of Eastleigh that many name little Mogadishu.
The Nairobi administration has once more ordered that industrial flights be investigated at Wajer airport earlier than they arrive in Nairobi, a transfer Kenya goals to step up the strain on the Somali authorities.
Earlier this week, Somalia authorised its oil legislation, which ratifies it for exploration within the close to future. This transfer has strengthened Kenya’s mood and has begun to retaliate by taking extreme measures that hurt Somali nationals primarily based in Kenya.
Neighboring nations are at the moment combating a maritime dispute on the ICJ, each claiming a slender 100,000 km2 of maritime shelf seemingly wealthy in oil and different essential mineral sources.
Somalia now seems to have the higher hand after the ICJ rejected a proposal for which Kenya deliberate to cease the complete listening to of the case in 2017. Since Kenya misplaced the primary spherical of the case, it has stepped up its diplomatic aggression towards Somalia by taking suicidal insurance policies which can not solely hurt Somalia, however the area as an entire.
Kenya has additionally despatched officers to the breakaway regional state of Somaliland to attempt to improve strain on Mogadishu to withdraw the maritime case from the ICJ.
It doesn’t work
Politics primarily based on intimidation don’t have any place in worldwide relations and it’s apparent that even the governments in energy at supper have botched this selection. Kenya believes it has an affect on the sport as Somalia has not had a robust operational authorities for the reason that collapse of the previous Somali authorities in 1991.
These measures is not going to drive Somalia to kneel, however will worsen the regional disaster, together with the struggle towards al-Shabaab which is now not a Somali downside.
If Somalia retaliates, Kenya might lose its place within the face of UN-backed operations of AMISOM and $ 4 billion in investments held by Somalis in Nairobi.
It’s true that Somalia is politically divided, nevertheless it unites when it has an exterior enemy threatening its sovereignty and existence and as historical past says, Somalis don’t settle for intimidation.
Kenya must reestablish its exterior relations with Somalia and act like an enormous brother and search softer methods to take care of larger points just like the ICJ case. Kenya’s International Cupboard Secretary Moica Juma additionally must seek the advice of with the correct individuals to do politics with Somalia.
Faysal Mohamed is a senior Somali journalist and political analyst primarily based in Istanbul.
