This archive report was first published on 8 October 2019.
On October 5, 2019, a Kenyan-registered Fokker 50 plane, 5Y-JXJ, carrying politicians and Somali MPs, landed in Kismayu, the capital of Jubbaland state, without making a stopover in Mogadishu as required.
The flight, leased by Jubba Airways, was part of a controversial swearing-in ceremony for Jubbaland president Ahmed Madobe, whose victory was endorsed by Nairobi and rejected by Mogadishu.
The Federal Government of Somalia under President Mohamed Farmaajo had imposed direct flight restrictions to Kismayu to stop the inauguration ceremony, citing the annulment of the August poll in which Madobe won.
However, Jubbaland officials claimed they had bought the plane from South Sudan for $2 million, according to Garowe online.
The protest against Kenya comes amid deteriorating ties between Nairobi and Mogadishu over the maritime border dispute, which is before the UN's International Court of Justice.
From 1994 to 2016, Somalia's airspace was controlled from Nairobi, but some operations were later relocated to Mogadishu due to a shortage of personnel.
On September 2019, Somalia directed that all civilian aircraft first stop in the capital Mogadishu before proceeding to Kismayu.
