Photo/Somali Times
Somalia and Kenya 14 November. 2019 agreed to restore diplomatic relations, including reinstating direct flights to Nairobi and facilitating visa upon arrival. Speaking at a joint conference in Nairobi, President Kenyatta said he had agreed with his Somalia counterpart Mohamed Farmaajo to end the Wajir stop over for flights from Mogadishu to allow for direct access to Nairobi.
Kenyatta said within a week, the respective aviation authorities will work to end the stop overs “We have agreed within a week, the necessary authorities will should put in place that which is necessary to ensure we now have direct flights from Mogadishu to Nairobi,” Kenyatta said.
Noting the two countries had agreed to normalize relations, the Kenyan leader said Somalis will now obtain visas at the airport upon arrival. “We have agreed to bring normality to our relations. We must do everything we can to ensure our people live happily and peacefully. With immediate effect, Somalis traveling will be able to obtain their visas when they arrive.
For his part, President Farmaajo thanked the Kenyan government for its contribution to Amisom and hosting thousands of Somali refugees. Farmaajo noted the International Court of Justice, the case will ‘not affect our relations.’
The two leaders, however, steered clear of the maritime case amid reports the two had struck a deal to handle the issue mutually, including pulling out the case from the International Court of Justice,.
According to International Court of Justice
Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya)
The Court has decided to postpone to 8 June 2020 the public hearings due to open on 4 November 2019
THE HAGUE, 18 October 2019. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, has decided to postpone to the week beginning 8 June 2020 the oral proceedings in the case concerning Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya), which had been due to take place between Monday 4 and Friday 8 November 2019.
The Court took this decision having duly considered the views and arguments of the Parties to the case regarding a request of Kenya to postpone the hearings.