This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
On October 11, 2019, Kenya's Ambassador to Somalia Lucas Tumbo was summoned by Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handed a protest note.
The move came after an alleged violation of a Kenyan plane on Somali airspace on Saturday when it landed at Kismayo Airport without any official permission.
According to sources, the plane was a private jet that was cleared from JKIA and destined for Kismayo.
However, Somali's Minister Abdulkadir Ahmed-their Abdi, who handed him the protest letter, said Somalia strongly protests the violation and will not accept any encroachment on its air, sea and land borders.
"The Federal Government of Somalia sees this action contradicts all principles of good neighborliness and non-interference in the internal affairs of states," the minister said.
Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied the allegations, stating that the plane was not Kenyan and that the individuals on board were of Somali origin.
This is not the first time Kenya's Ambassador to Somalia has been summoned by the Somali government. In July 2019, Ambassador Tumbo was also summoned over what Somalia termed an offensive tweet by Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau.
