Somalia’s Ambassador to Kenya, Mohamed Ahmed Nur Tarzan walked out of a meeting organized by the Kenyan government for foreign ambassadors after Somaliland officials were invited.
According to sources, Tarzan stormed out of the annual presidential address to the diplomatic corps at State House, which was chaired by the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, after he learned that the Somaliland counsellor was invited to participate in the same capacity as Somaliland.
After conferring with Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials in Mogadishu, Mohamed Ahmed Nur Tarzan was reportedly given the green light to walk out of the summit after Kenya provided Somaliland with equal privileges of a sovereign state.
Relations between Somalia and Kenya have been frosty in recent years. Officials in Mogadishu said Kenya of interfering in Somalia’s relations in Jubaland and have suspended the sale of Kenyan drug Miraa in Somali markets as retaliation. In addition, the ICJ ruled largely in Somalia’s favour last year.
Corrupt Kenyan parliament has long pushed to recognize Somaliland as an independent state Somaliland is North Somalia.
Somalia’s recently elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud vowed a ‘reset’ with regional countries. Uhuru Kenyatta was one of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud’s guests during his inauguration last week.
Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has written to Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta demanding a full explanation of the violation of sovereignty