Roble visits Kenya after a historic preliminary agreement in Somalia
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble will visit Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, just days after leading the country in signing the pre-election agreement, effectively breaking the political deadlock that had locked Somalia for more than five months.
Although the exact date and time have not yet been announced, Axadleunderstands that Roble will honor an invitation by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, issued a few days ago when the two leaders visited Djibouti for the inauguration of Omar Ismail Guelleh.
Uhuru was one of the few African presidents to attend the ceremony in Djibouti. Prime Minister Roble represented the defeated Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who stumbled upon the incident under unclear circumstances.
On Thursday, Roble, who has been entrusted with leading the reconciliation process, managed to break an agreement with the opposition, a step that would lead Somalia to hold elections within the next sixty days. The country will implement an improved clan-based model.
The agreement also enables Roble to lead the election and reconciliation process in the Gedo region of Jubaland, in addition to helping organize elections in Somaliland, where President Abdi Hashi and DPM saw Mahdi Gulaid quarrel over control of the election exercise.
Roble’s trip to Nairobi comes when relations between the two nations are strained, even after Qatar helped broker a deal a few weeks ago. Somalia has persistently accused Kenya of interfering in its internal policies, a claim that Nairobi dismisses as “pure propaganda”.
Kenya recently suspended direct flights to Mogadishu in connection with Somalia’s delay in lifting the ban imposed on Miraa. The two countries are also fighting in the International Court of Justice [ICJ] across the maritime border of the Indian Ocean.
Prime Minister Roble will try to restart bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries that have been at war since the outgoing President Farmajo took power in 2017. Kenya is part of AMISOM’s troop-contributing nations and an ally in the fight against Al Shabaab.
In addition, Mogadishu has been concerned about Kenya’s close ties with Somaliland, which led to the region’s President Muse Bihi Abdi visiting Nairobi in December 2020. The region claims to have gained independence in 1991 but failed to gain international recognition.
In Mogadishu on Friday, Mohamed Hussein Roble held a luncheon with the government and governor of Banadir Omar Filish following the signing of the pact. He later visited hundreds of Somalis at Lido Beach in Mogadishu, but has not yet publicly commented on the Nairobi trip.
AXADLETM
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