Photo: Credit Twitter Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo.
Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has threatened to take a new step by suspending all flights to Somalia, which are now open to UN and humanitarian agencies following the closure of civilians.
Kenya has sent a letter informing all diplomatic missions, UN agencies and international agencies in Nairobi that they have discovered that they have misused their permission to fly to Somalia. The ministry said international and UN agencies had been given humanitarian flights following the suspension of flights to Somalia, but found that they had violated the permit and that the flights had been used for political purposes and in violation of the ban.
”The ministry, however, regrets that it has learned of the misuse of humanitarian flights by both sides and political issues against and the announcement that the air link between Kenya and Somalia has been suspended,” said the statement. Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on the United Nations and international agencies to provide the Kenyan government with a list of passengers and goods to be transported to Somalia before permission is granted.
”The ministry has finally threatened to suspend all humanitarian flights to Somalia if these flights are not used properly. The Department reiterates that humanitarian flights to humanitarian purposes in order to avoid Kenya announcing a decision possible to completely stop flights,” Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The Kenyan government on May 11 banned all flights to and from Somalia, after the federal government refused to re-authorize qat in Somalia. A statement from Kenya’s civil aviation director Gilbert Kibe said the order would run until August 9th this year.