This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
On June 30, 2019, a tweet by Kenya's Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Macharia Kamau, sparked tensions in Somalia, prompting the Somali government to take serious measures.
The tweet, which has since been deleted, was seen as an attack on Somalia's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, according to a statement from the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Somali government summoned the Kenyan Ambassador to Somalia, Lt. General (Rtd) Lucas Tumbo, and handed him a protest letter on the matter.
"We consider this tweet an affront to Somalia's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity as well as harmful to the relationship between Somalia and Kenya," the statement read in part.
Foreign Affairs PS Kamau Macharia had met with Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Yasin Hagi Mohamed on the same day, and the tweet suggested that they had discussed issues of mutual interest between the two countries.
However, the Somali government took issue with the tweet, which they saw as a personal opinion of the PS, rather than an official statement.
Published on July 1, 2019, at 16:48:12 UTC.
