This archive report was first published on 14 November 2019.
On November 14, 2019, Kenya and Somalia took a significant step towards improving their relations by agreeing to restore bilateral agreements that would allow for the free movement of people and direct flights between the two countries.
The agreement was reached during a meeting in Nairobi between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Somali counterpart Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, who expressed gratitude for Kenya's role in Amisom and its hospitality to Somali refugees.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary stated that the two principals agreed to bring normality to their bilateral relations and ensure peaceful relations, including obtaining visas on arrival to encourage free movement of people.
President Farmaajo expressed confidence that the ICJ issue would be resolved in a mutually acceptable manner and not affect their bilateral relations, emphasizing that the two countries have a lot in common, including people-to-people, government-to-government, and trade relations.
The agreement comes after a period of tension between the two countries, which had escalated with tit-for-tat decisions linked to the maritime case. Somalia had sued Kenya at the ICJ in 2014, seeking to have the maritime border redrawn in an area about 100,000km square of sea said to contain hydrocarbons reserves.
