Araweelo News Network.

 

#Nairobi (ANN) -Kenya has announced that it has relocated its #flights to the #Republic of #Somaliland, after banning #Kenya #Airways from flying to Somalia for three months.

 

The move comes just days after Kenya and Somalia announced they were resuming strained relations that led to the severance of ties.

READ: Kenya Reaffirms Position on Somaliland Recognition

 

According a memo circulating the new Kenyan Aviation authority order stated that only ‘Medevac flights and United Nations on Humanitarian Mission only’ were permitted to leave for or come from Somalia.

Starkly contrasting this dour development between the uneasy neighbors, Kenya Airways officially announced that Kenya flights were ‘set to launch direct flights from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to  Egal International Airport in Hargeisa a capital of the Republic of Somaliland.

Kenya Airways has also officially announced that flights will be to Egal International Airport from 28 May 2021, which will be on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Kenyan flag will be sharing the Hargeisa skyline with those of Djibouti, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Taiwan, and Ethiopia.

In early December 2020, the President of the Republic of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, and a delegation led by him paid an official visit to Nairobi, and met with his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta and other officials.

Kenyan, Somaliland presidents issue joint Statement

The two presidents issued a statement at the time announcing that the two countries were strengthening ties and co-operating on a number of issues, and that Kenyan flights were scheduled to land directly in Somaliland, with Kenya announcing the opening of an embassy in Hargeisa. Although the Embassy is still not yet open.

READ: What came out of Somaliland and Kenya Presidents hold closed-door meeting

Kenya is one of the countries with troops in Somalia, and two countries on many fronts international court on the disputed border waters, which is why the dispute between the two countries the rise, although recent mediation made by the government of Qatar both reported Diplomatic relations will be restored, but the situation of the conflict has not yet changed.

The Somali federal government has previously banned Kenyan imports of Miro qat into Somalia, and Kenya is home to Somali refugee camps that fled there in the 1990s following the collapse of the Somali central government.

Most of the refugees are in the world’s oldest camp, Dadaab, and Kenya has repeatedly threatened to close it, but the United Nations and UNHCR have warned Kenya not to take such a decision.

Araweelo News Network

info@araweelonews.com