This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
On September 25, 2019, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and Somalia's Mohamed Farmaajo met in New York for their first face-to-face meeting since March, brokered by Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The meeting aimed to normalise relations between the two countries, which have recently gone cold due to a maritime dispute. Somalia has been seeking to redraw the sea boundary, and the case is currently at the International Court of Justice.
According to Mohamed Abdinur, Mr Farmaajo's spokesman, Somalia and Kenya have agreed to work towards normalising relations without any implications for the maritime case at the ICJ. Somalia welcomes the opportunity to work towards normalising relations with Kenya, as neighbours and partners, for a better common future.
However, the two leaders fell short of a deal on the simmering maritime dispute. Nairobi and Mr Kenyatta's government were yet to issue a statement on the talks by Wednesday afternoon.
The dispute had recently generated tit-for-tat moves affecting direct flights as well as issuance of visas at ports of entry. Regional experts have warned that further deterioration could allow Al-Shabaab militants to thrive in their terror as the two countries also collaborate on counter-terrorism measures.
